Eighty businesses in Singapore have made a pledge to end workplace discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV).
Major LGBTI organizations in Singapore including Action for AIDS (AFA) and support group, Oogachaga, collaborated with social enterprise, Be Inclusive, to end HIV discrimination in the workplace.
Global multinationals such as Google and Barclays are some of the signatories to the pledge alongside local companies such as restaurant booking platform, Chope.
AFA’s advocacy manager Avin Tan said that workplaces play a crucial role in ending discrimination against individuals with HIV.
‘The challenge of being gainfully employed without the fear of being sacked because of one’s HIV infection must be addressed if we want to effectively control HIV in Singapore,’ AFA’s advocacy manager, Avin Tan told Today Online.
‘The challenge of being gainfully employed without the fear of being sacked because of one’s HIV infection must be addressed if we want to effectively control HIV in Singapore.
‘It is good public health practice to have someone whose HIV status is known and successfully treated, than someone who is undiagnosed, unaware, frightened and potentially infectious.’
According to data from Avert, a global HIV educator, more than 50% of people worldwide have discriminatory attitudes to PLHIV. Avert said HIV stigma can lead to people being shunned by family, peers and the wider community. Others could face poor treatment in educational and work settings, erosion of their rights, and psychological damage. These all limit access to HIV testing, treatment and other HIV services.
The tiny nation of Brunei has recently implemented the Sharia Penal Code, including the death penaltyfor people convicted ofsodomy.
Gay Star News broke the news at the end of March, when it learned the new law was entering into force on 3 April.
Since the news went public, it has met with significant public outcry.
Actor George Clooney penned an op-ed urging people to boycott Brunei-owned hotels and other businesses. Elton John, Ellen DeGeneres and other high-profile LGBTI celebrities also encouraged their fans to take action against Brunei.
Nonetheless, the nation in Southeast Asia isn’t the only one where gay sex is punishable by death.
Here are the other countries in the world where LGBTI people might lose their lives for living their truth.
Afghanistan
The country’s penal code doesn’t refer explicitly to homosexuality, but Article 130 of the Constitution allows recourse to sharia law, prohibiting same-sex sexual activities in general.
Although gay men may face the death penalty, Afghanistan hasn’t issued any sentence for homosexuality since the end of the Taliban rule in 2001.
Chechnya
Photo: Dave Frenkel
The federal Russian LGBTI laws apply in Chechnya, a part of the Russian Federation.
However, in Chechnya, as in other regions of southern Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin has empowered local leaders to enforce their interpretation of traditional values.
In 1996 Chechnya’s separatist president Aslan Maskhadov adopted sharia law in his Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Article 148 of the Chechen penal code made sodomy punishable by caning after the first two offences. Third-time offenders can be executed.
In 2017, local opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported anti-LGBTI purges were taking place in the country as people were detained and tortured, with many killed in extrajudicial killings.
Chechnya Crisis Appeal
Iran
Gay sex between men is a capital offence under Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, enacted in 1991.
Iran sentences gay men to death for homosexual intercourse. Moreover, men can be flogged for lesser acts such as kissing, while women may be flogged for same-sex sexual activity.
The country publicly hanged a man for homosexuality in January 2019 after he was found guilty of raping two males.
Mauritania
Muslim men engaging in same-sex sexual activity face death by stoning according to a 1984 law in force in the northwestern African country. Women can face prison for the same crime.
Nigeria
Nigerians protested the murders of LGBTI people on the National Day of Mourning. | Photo: Twitter/Bisi Alimi
Several states have adopted sharia law and imposed a death penalty for men engaging in homosexual behavior.
Pakistan
Pakistan allows the death penalty for gay and bisexual men engaging in same-sex intercourse but there haven’t been executions since the law came into effect.
Qatar
Qatar punishes Muslim people by death for extramarital sex, regardless of the gender of those involved.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia punishes homosexuality with the death penalty
According to the interpretation of the law by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, any married man or any non-Muslim who engages in sodomy with a Muslim risks death by stoning.
A State Department spokesperson on Thursday said the U.S. is “deeply concerned” over reports that indicate more than a dozen LGBTI people in Azerbaijan have been arrested.
Reuters cited an Azeri LGBTI advocacy group that said police this week arrested four transgender sex workers. Freedom House in a press release said police in Baku, the country’s capital, on Monday arrested “at least 14 LGBT+ people.”
ILGA-Europe in a tweet said those who were arrested were “forced to undergo medical examination to test their HIV/STI status.” ILGA-Europe also said authorities fined some of those who were arrested and sentenced them to 30 days “of arrest” on charges of “hooliganism.”
“The United States is deeply concerned by reports of the arrest and detention of more than a dozen LGBTI individuals in Azerbaijan, as well as by reports that detained individuals may have been subjected to forced medical examinations,” the State Department spokesperson told the Washington Blade.
“If true, such acts would be inconsistent with Azerbaijan’s international human rights obligations, and with the principles and commitments it has undertaken as a participating state of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,” added the spokesperson.
The spokesperson said the State Department “regularly” communicates with the Azeri government “regarding human rights and encourage it to uphold its international commitments on human rights.” The spokesperson added the U.S. Embassy in Baku “has conveyed our concern regarding these reports to” Azeri authorities.
Azerbaijan is a former Soviet republic that borders the Caspian Sea, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey and Iran.
The State Department in its 2018 human rights report notes Azeri police in September 2017 arrested more than 80 men “presumed to be gay or bisexual” and trans women during a series of raids they conducted. The report also says officers beat some of those they arrested and used electric shocks “to obtain bribes and information about other gay men.”
The State Department report also notes violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity remains commonplace in Azerbaijan.
“Governments have an obligation to ensure that all people, including LGBTI people, can freely enjoy the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms to which they are entitled,” the State Department spokesperson told the Blade. “We strongly oppose human rights violations and abuses against LGBTI persons, including violence, the criminalization of LGBTI status or conduct, and serious forms of discrimination.”
Azerbaijan police randomly began detaining LGBTI people on Monday (1 April) night.
LGBTI rights organization Minority Azerbaijan broke the news yesterday (2 April) morning, revealing shocking details of authorities ‘hunting’ transgender people, then handcuffing them and detaining them.
Now they confirm authorities detained at least 14 people and they can identify five.
Authorities fined two of them under Article 510 of the Code on Administrative Offenses – Minor Hooliganism.
While three detainees had official charges under section 535.1 (wilfully not obeying lawful orders of the police officer who engaged protecting of public order) of the Code of Administrative Offences.
Protest in Germany. | Photo: Ghvinotsdaati
Yesterday, the Binagadi District Court in Baku sentenced two detainees with 10 days and another one with 15 days of administrative detention.
Authorities are keeping the detainees in police custody at the Temporary Detention Centers of Police Departments (TDC).
Local sources explain TDCs should only hold people for 48 or 96 hours of detention.
‘Therefore, it is wrong to keep persons who [have been] punished with more than 10 days of administrative detention in the TDC,’ an anonymous source told Gay Star News. ‘From this point of view, the conditions of the victims are inadequate in that place.’
Breaking the law
The source then explained how authorities were illegally detaining LGBTI people.
‘In general, the detainees are considered to be held administratively,’ the local source explained. ‘The law does not specify the compulsory examination of persons held in an administrative if it’s not a criminal case.’
Authorities are also breaking the law in another way, with forced medical examinations of people living with HIV.
The source continued: ‘The law… states that medical examinations to persons living with HIV cannot be accomplished by physical, psychological or moral pressure.
‘But, when an HIV [positive] person posing a threat of infecting others or their legal representative does not agree to a medical examination, the medical examination for HIV-infected person is compulsory by court order in the manner prescribed by law,’ the source explained.
According to eyewitness testimony, detainees did not receive any official request or signed paper before they had to undergo medical examinations.
‘There was no court decision that justifies the examinations,’ the source said. ‘Therefore, under current conditions forced medical examination is not lawful.’
What’s going on in Azerbaijan?
One report claims police are trying to ‘hunt’ transgender people via the internet. Police allegedly deceived a transgender sex worker, inviting them to a hotel to provide sex services.
Upon the trans person’s arrival to the meeting place, ‘they pulled out handcuffs’ and took the trans person to the police station, according to local activists.
Brutality of Azerbaijan police in September 2017. | Photo: Aziz Karimov / supplied
Similar reports of authorities in Azerbaijan randomly detaining LGBTI people emerged in September 2017.
Eyewitness reports at the time claimed authorities detained LGBTI people, beat, verbally abused and forced medical examinations on transgender people. Some reports even suggest authorities shaved the hair of transgender women.
One gay man told how authorities beat, electrocuted and detained him for nine days.
The man – known only as Xeyal – said authorities beat with a baton on the head, knees, and arms. They also administered electric shocks to his head and body more than 30 times.
Police also tortured Xeyal into revealing names of former sexual partners. They then forced him to sign documents without reading them.
Azerbaijan is actually getting worse when it comes to LGBTI rights.
Although same-sex sexual activity is technically legal, Azerbaijan lags behind in anti-discrimination laws, parenting rights for same-sex couples, transgender rights and same-sex marriage.
LGBTI advocacy groups and transfeminist organizations gathered in Verona, Italy, today (30 March) to protest the World Congress of Families.
Organizers estimated that the march reached more than 50,000 people. Many took to the streets of the city in Northern Italy with placards and banners.
The demonstration aims to support the LGBTI community and all women whose rights have been threatened by the WCF.
Now in its 23rd year, the Christian Congress has raised concerns across the country and internationally for its vocal opposition of LGBTI rights and reproductive rights.
A platform to spread discrimination
‘We’re more than 50,000 according to official estimations’ says Mattia Stella, President of Pride Vicenza.
‘It’s impossible to tell where the parade ends.’
He joined many other LGBTI people and allies for the demonstration.
‘I’m here today with thousands of other people to state there’s no such thing as one kind of family. And that gender equality should be a priority for every country claiming to be democratic,’ he told GSN.
‘Events such as the WCF are providing platforms to spread hate and discrimination.’
He furthermore added: ‘We’re not here only for ourselves, but also for the future generations. We hope they won’t have to go through this medieval-like era someone is imposing upon us.’
Anti-LGBTI speakers at World Congress of Families
A three-day convention, the WCF opened its doors on 29 March.
Significantly, the counter-protest took place on the same day where Italy’s far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini is set to speak.
Among this year’s speakers, there are also international figures infamous for opposing LGBTI rights, such as Lucy Akello.
As Shadow Minister for Social Development, Akello supported a law in Uganda mandating the death penalty or life imprisonment for gay people.
Survivors of Chechnya’s homophobic purge are, with very few exceptions, always anonymous.
Many people have fled for their lives. Officers could catch them and send them back to a concentration camp.
People are tortured, humiliated, beaten and electrocuted and murdered.
Very few can bear the pain without breaking.
Some former detainees have revealed what happened to them to Human Rights Watch.
The following survivors have all been given pseudonyms to protect their identities.
Survivors of Chechnya’s homophobic purge reveal what happened
One remembers a torture named the ‘carousel’. Security officials put you face down on the floor and beat you with pipes.
Officers, when they’re tired, also force other prisoners to carry on with the beating.
‘You literally turn black and blue from waist to toes,’ one survivor said.
Other survivors remembered the homemade electric chairs.
One said: ‘They turn the knob, electric current hits you, and you start shaking. And they keep turning the hellish machine, and the pain is just insane, you scream, and scream, and you no longer know who you are…
‘Finally, you faint, it all goes dark, but when you come to your senses, they start all over again.
‘And once they’re done with you and you get your bearings, you hear other inmates screaming, and the sounds of torture are just there all day, and at some point, you start losing your mind.’
Zurab
Zurab, 32, spent a week in the detention facility.
On 1 March, he was arrested at his home. Quickly, he deleted his cell phone of all evidence of his communications with other gay men.
The police officer drove Zurab to a security compound. The officials dragged him into a room where he saw two gay acquaintances. One of them was bloodied and bruised from a recent beating.
The security official demanded to know who he was and his relationship with them. Zurab claimed they were just business contacts.
‘They beat me, they gave me electric shocks attaching wires to my ear-lobes,’ he said.
‘I would not give in. I insisted those two lied about me.’
He also said: ‘But the humiliation was the worst part of it.
‘They called me a ‘woman,’ a ‘fag,’ an ‘ass-bugger’… the most offensive things one can call a man. They mocked me, taunted me. I could not stand it. I wished they just killed me.’
Zurab was also not fed in seven days he spent there locked in a cage, losing 22 pounds in a week. He was given water in accordance with Muslim ritual and only after prayers.
Security officials released Zurab after finding no evidence he was gay. Two weeks later, a friend told him security officials had rounded up an ex-lover who had pictures of him on his phone.
‘I could not face another detention…’ he said, who fled to southern Europe.
He also said: ‘If they showed [it] to my relatives… If my father doesn’t kill me, my uncle will.’
Khasan
A placard at a Chechnya protest in London, April 2017, targeting Russian President Putin for his inaction (Photo: David Hudson)
Khasan, a 20-year-old university student, was lured by an officer posing as a potential date.
The two met and the officer said there was an apartment outside the city limits.
After driving for 30 minutes, the officer posing as a gay man drove off the road into a field.
‘Three security officials in black uniforms were waiting for us there,’ Khasan said.
‘I understood everything as soon as I saw them, I begged him to turn back, I cried–but he pushed me out of the car.
‘They beat me, kicked me, and punched me in the face. They stripped me naked and filmed me on a cell phone, as they gave a running commentary about having caught a “faggot”.
The officials found Khasan’s phone and found intimate photographs and messages with other gay men.
Khasan was left with a broken jaw and bruises.
They said he had a month to deliver several thousand dollars or he would be outed to his family.
Khasan sold all his valuable electronic equipment, borrowed money and came up with the sum.
‘I did not have a choice. If my relatives found out about me being gay, the shame for the family would be unbearable,’ he said.
After he paid the ransom, he fled to join other survivors. He later learned that friends of his had been abducted – likely with information gathered from his phone. A friend’s mother called him in tears saying police had dragged her son away.
Magomed
Magomed, 35, spent 11 days in the detention facility in Argun.
Three security officials accosted Magomed in a public place in Grozny. With them, a gay acquaintance was in handcuffs.
When the officials asked Magomed what they were after, he said no. One of the men then hit Magomed on the head.
Handcuffed, dragged into a car, he was driven to the camp. He was held there with around 40 to 50 people.
‘Every day it was torture, torture, and more torture,’ he said.
On his release, family members of many detainees had assembled in an official facility.
The officials shouted abuse while family members were forced to stand and listen.
Each detainee had to step forward, face his family and also ‘confess’ his sexual orientation.
‘Our relatives were in tears and they [officials] were telling them, “You know what to do now.”
‘They didn’t say “kill” but it was all crystal clear,’ Magomed said.
One of the detainees refused to ‘confess’ and security officials refused to release him to his relatives. Several other detainees were not released because their family members did not show up.
While officials ordered Magomed to not leave Chechnya, he kept hearing about detentions of gay people.
He immediately fled Chechnya for a neighboring region without even stopping to pack a bag, and from there went to central Russia.
‘My life is ruined. I cannot go back. And it’s not safe here [in central Russia] either,’ Magomed said.
Chechnya Crisis Appeal
As well as using our investigative journalism to keep you informed about what’s happening on-the-ground as it happens; we’re inviting you to make a difference today by donating to the Chechyna Crisis Appeal.
Every dollar, euro and pound you give will help evacuate LGBTI people in the most danger. And to pressure the Chechen authorities to stop this persecution.
Please also share our appeal with your followers, friends and family; ensuring we raise awareness and apply pressure to permanently end this abuse.
Police raided a LGBTI center in Arkhangelsk, Russia today (28 March).
Officers arrived at the community center, Rakurs (meaning Angle), after an alleged ‘complaint’.
A Rakurs spokesperson told Gay Star News the incident is still ongoing at the time of publishing.
Officers arrived to the center, which provides advice to the LGBTI community, and demanded to inspect the office.
Volunteers, lawyers, and five visitors were also all prevented from leaving.
Officers are inspecting and withdrawing materials from the center.
Ivan Rasputin, the head of the Information Relations department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Arkhangelsk region, declined to comment.
Authorities have seven days to respond to comment.
Gay propaganda in Russia
Sources suggest Russia’s government may wish to fine or ban the organization for conflating rules on ‘gay propaganda’.
In 2013 Russian president, Vladimir Putin, passed the ‘gay propaganda law’ which banned ‘information promoting the denial of traditional family values’ and ‘propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations’.
Activists have also argued the law censored the LGBTI community.
Its introduction has also led to a vast increase of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic attacks.
The group works to protect the rights of LGBTI people in the northern region.
In December 2014, the court recognized the organization as a foreign agent.
Earlier this month, police interrogated an organizer of a youth festival.
Yulia Tsvetkova was receiving death threats for her part in organizing the Color of Saffron festival in the far eastern town of Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Due to run this weekend, local authorities canceled the event over concerns one of the plays in the festival promoted a ‘LGBTI agenda’.
The play called Blue and Pink featured teenage actors and discussed gender. The colors blue and pink are often represent the gay and lesbian community in Russia.
Authorities told festival organisers it would not be going ahead. They also accused Tsvetkova of importing ‘corruption and persecution’ from Europe.
Brunei is reportedly planning to introduce anti-LGBT laws next month that could see people whipped or stoned to death for same-sex activity.
Homosexuality is illegal in the east Asian country and punishable by up to ten years imprisonment.
Under the upcoming changes to Brunei’s penal code, punishments could include whipping and stoning to death for people found guilty of adultery, sodomy and rape, according to human rights groups.
The country introduced Islamic criminal law in 2014 when it announced the first of three stages of legal changes that included failing to pray on Friday or pregnancy outside of marriage.
A subsequent backlash led to the final two stages being delayed, but the country now reportedly plans to introduce the changes on 3 April.
The Brunei Project, a human rights group, posted on social media: “The Brunei Project recently learnt that after years of continually delaying implementation of phases 2 and 3 of the Syariah Penal Code (SPC), the Brunei Government is now rushing through the final two phases concurrently, with the laws scheduled to take effect on 3rd April 2019.
“While this means that the Government is breaking its promise to implement the laws in three distinct phases, with a grace period between each phase, what is even more alarming is the secrecy with which it is doing so.
A security guard confronts demonstrators protesting the introduction of laws targeting women and LGBT people in Brunei, outside the Sultan-owned Beverley Hills Hotel (David McNew/Getty Images)
“According to one source, there is an existing ban on the local media reporting on implementation of the SPC, although this cannot be verified at present. At the time of writing this post, most people in Brunei remain unaware that the SPC is scheduled to be fully implemented in less than two weeks.”
The Facebook post continued: “Among the punishments will be the amputation of limbs for theft, the death penalty for apostasy, and a range of punishments for those found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with members of the same gender and adultery.”
The organisation also highlighted that Brunei signed the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, although it has not yet been ratified.
“By implementing these laws, Brunei is clearly in violation of its obligations under the CAT,” the organisation added. “The Brunei Project calls on the Brunei Government to stop being so secretive with the implementation of these laws and to be open and transparent with the Brunei people.”
ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, a Manila-based human rights group, confirmed the implementation of the remaining changes were due to take place on April 3, citing government documents, Reuters reported.
Italian trans men have been left without testosterone shots crucial for their hormonal therapy since September 2018.
The Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco (AIFA) is the public agency that regulates drug distribution in Italy. In February 2019, it updated its list of temporarily unavailable drugs.
The list now includes many of the most popular testosterone-based medications, crucial in hormonal therapy for trans men. The most popular being Testoviron, a testosterone-based injectable solution by German pharmaceutical giant Bayer.
Buying drugs online can be extremely dangerous
Many see no other way than to buy those meds they desperately need online from countries such as India, Russia, and Ukraine. These cheaper drugs purchased illegally might have potentially negative effects on people’s health.
In a reportage published by Italian magazine L’Espresso, the situation is described as an ‘emergency’.
Trans men need to take testosterone enhancing medications for their whole life. Stopping taking hormones would impact trans men’s physical as well as their mental health dramatically.
Many trans men dread getting their period back. This happens when a stronger testosterone shot, such as the now unavailable Testoviron, is replaced by those containing lower levels of testosterone, such as Sustanon by Aspen Pharma. This is the main substitute for Testoviron.
Except now Sustanon, too, seems to have disappeared from the chemist’s shelves.
‘Many people resort to websites selling testosterone illegally on the Internet or at local gyms,’ Michele Formisano, president of Italian trans advocacy group CEST, told GSN.
‘It’s hormones we’re talking about. They often have no idea of what they’re about to inject themselves with. Particularly, many young trans men who are yet to see an endocrinologist end up buying meds carelessly.’
He furthermore added: ‘This is an issue across the board. It doesn’t affect trans men exclusively. Cis men with tumors or genetic diseases need Testoviron for their hormonal therapy as well.’
‘Production issues’
A spokesman for AIFA explained the Italian demand for testosterone-based drugs is higher than most countries, such as the Netherlands.
However, importing the drug from the Netherlands will imply a ‘packaging issue’, Domenico Di Giorgio told L’Espresso. The package insert would be in Dutch and therefore the drug would not be marketable in Italy.
AIFA also told GSN that the lack of testosterone-based meds might be due to a production issue, such as the malfunctioning of machinery.
Di Giorgio further explained patients are unaware of other legal solutions, such as going to their local public healthcare facility (ASL) and filling out a form.
Whoever needs a specific drug can fill out a form, which then is sent to a hospital pharmacy and, finally, to AIFA for approval.
Public healthcare facilities
However, not all ASLs deal with cases of genderdysphoria, particularly in southern Italy.
‘There are very few public healthcare facilities treating gender dysphoria here. Therefore, many trans men choose to see endocrinologists privately,’ Formisano added.
‘Public health endos often don’t know or don’t want to deal with this.’
An endocrinologist working for an ASL might refer a patient to a gender dysphoria specialist who often works in a different region.
In many cases, Rome is the closest destination for trans men from the south. Accessing testosterone-based medications would mean sustaining expensive travel costs to get to the capital city.
Alongside a lack of experience in treating transgender patients, ASL staff often misgender and discriminate against trans men and women.
‘In many ASLs, you need to explain your situation to untrained staff,’ Formisano said.
Many maintain this happens because the staff there isn’t properly trained on LGBTI issues. This leads to a breach of trust between healthcare professionals and patients.
One of the consequences is for trans patients to neglect their healthcare and resort to dangerous alternatives.
A trans advocacy group is offering support
‘We’re providing trans men with legal support in the event public endocrinologists refuse to fill out the form to import testosterone,’ Formisano also said.
‘Some of us have stocked up on testosterone. We need to take it every 15, 21 or 28 days, according to the specific therapy we’re on. We need to take hormones our whole life.’
Many trans advocacy groups are protesting and launching campaigns to raise awareness on the issue.
AIFA told GSN that Sustanon will be back on the shelves at the end of April, whereas Testoviron will become available in September 2019. That would make a year after it first went missing.
‘A year for a trans man on hormonal therapy is an eternity,’ said Formisano.
The Justice Ministry of Japan has granted special permission to a gay Taiwanese man to stay in Japan with his partner.
The man, who is in his 40s, lived with his partner in Japan for 25 years. He illegally overstayed his visa. However, in a rare move by the government, his deportation order was revoked and a special residency status was granted, his lawyers said Friday (22 March).
The man was suing the government because he was denied special permission to reside in Japan. He has now withdrawn that suit.
According to Kyodo News, one of the lawyers said: ‘It’s the first time that special permission to stay in the country has been given to a foreign gay partner of a Japanese citizen.’
However, the Justice Ministry denies sexuality played a part in the decision: ‘We didn’t change our usual conduct. We didn’t give special weight to the fact that he was a same-sex partner but looked holistically at their situation, including their actual lives.’
No marriage equality
The defense team says the man originally entered the country on a one-year student visa in September 1992. He enrolled in a Japanese language school.
He re-entered the country on a three-month visa in October 1993. The next month he started his relationship with his partner, who is now in his 50s.
However, they were discovered in June 2016. His deportation was ordered, but the man filed a petition with the Tokyo District Court the next year to have the deportation revoked.
While some cities offer symbolic partnership certificates, Japan does not officially recognize same-sex relationships.
According to Japan Times, the man criticized the government for not recognizing same-sex partnerships: ‘Over the past 25 years, I had no other choice but to live with the person I love in hiding, as same-sex partnerships have not been accepted socially.
‘If we had been allowed to marry, our lives would have been different.’
