A Japanese lesbian couple has been granted refugee status in Canada after enduring discrimination in Japan.
Key points:
- Eri, aged in her 30s, and Hana, in her 50s, got married in Canada in 2019 but faced discrimination upon their return to Japan.
- Canada said it recognized the lack of legal marriage protections for same-sex couples and the risk of persecution in Japan.
- The couple moved together to Canada in 2021 and were granted refugee status in Sept. 2023.
The details:
- While Japan has local partnership systems for same-sex couples, it still doesn’t have national marriage equality. LGBTQ+ rights advocates say social acceptance lags behind legal progress in Japan.
- Hana and Eri said they faced workplace discrimination and social stigma in the country. The couple sought refugee status by submitting a 200-page document to Canada detailing their experiences with discrimination. They underwent a series of interviews and public hearings before their applications were approved.
- In granting the request, Canada cited the U.N. Committee’s report on widespread discrimination against women and sexual minorities in Japan.
- The women, who now have permanent resident status in Canada, said they decided to share their experiences to raise awareness about the challenges of the LGBTQ+ community in Japan.
Tangent:
- Ironically, Japan granted asylum to a lesbian woman from Uganda in 2023.
