"Am I therefore become your enemy,because I TELL YOU THE TRUTH...?"
(Galatians 4:16)

First gay candidate runs in Japan

TOKYO, Japan.-Japan's first openly lesbian politician hopes running for parliament will raise awareness of gay rights in a society so conservative that many prefer to stay in the closet.
Kanako Otsuji, 32, who is backed by the main opposition Democratic Party, would become the first openly gay national politician of either sex if she wins a seat in parliament's upper house in a poll expected in July.Otsuji, who served as a local legislator in the western city of Osaka for four years until April, said her decision to become a politician was inspired by the pain and isolation of the five years it took her to accept that she was a lesbian."In Japan, you cannot say you are a lesbian," she told a news conference on Wednesday."There are no lesbians among famous TV stars or other celebrities, so I didn't think there were any in this country at all, and this filled me with doubt," she said of the struggle for self-acceptance that began when she was 18."I decided to become a politician to change society, to deliver the message that we aren't ashamed to be what we are."If she becomes a lawmaker, Otsuji said she wants to fight to create laws that promote a more diverse society and prohibit discrimination, including against sexual minorities.Elected to the Osaka legislature in 2003, Otsuji helped change laws to make it easier for same-sex couples to rent public housing. She also fought unsuccessfully last year to keep a Japanese city from amending a rare law that had explicitly banned discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation.Otsuji came out as a lesbian in 2005. In her autobiography, "Coming Out: a Journey to Find My True Self," she said: "I thought I could give courage to the most people this way."
Her constituents seemed not to mind, but she decided not to run again in April because a revision of legislative districts had reduced her chances of winning.She was officially recognized as a Democratic candidate last month, a decision that faced opposition from some in the party who feared they would lose conservative votes.Japanese media are taking sexual minority issues more seriously these days, but social acceptance remains limited and gays are still often shown as comic relief."The real issue is whether policy makers will acknowledge the growing diversity in Japanese society-whether Japan will be a nation that affirms differences, or rejects them," Otsuji said.
As in the days of Noah...