18 Mar Japan lawmakers form group to end anti-gay discrimination by 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Japanese lawmakers Tuesday formed a cross-party group to stamp out anti-gay discrimination in the country by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Hiroshi Hase, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) member and leader of the committee, said they wanted to avoid a repeat of the Sochi boycotts over Russia’s anti-gay law.
‘As it hosts the Olympic Games, there is no doubt that Japanese society will be questioned on how it treats its sexual minorities,’ he said.
After the outcry and world leaders boycotted the Sochi opening ceremony, the International Olympic Committee in December added sexual orientation to its anti-discrimination policy.
The group does plan to draft any bills and will start by meeting with members of the LGBTI community and studying laws on sexuality orientation in other countries.
Thirty-eight lawmakers have joined the committee so far, including 13 from the ruling LDP party and 12 from the opposition.
Source: Gay Star News