LGBTQI people in Japan worry contracting COVID-19 may result in being forced to come out

LGBTQI people in Japan worry contracting COVID-19 may result in being forced to come out

A recent study of 180 LGBTQI people in Japan shows that a vast number of people worry that they or their partner may be outed if they contract COVID-19, as authorities investigate contact and infection routes.

The survey conducted by Marriage for All Japan showed they worry about whether they or their partner will be able to receive important medical information that hospitals provide to family members if one of them becomes infected with the pneumonia-causing virus.

Kyodo News reports a 34-year-old man who lives with his same-sex partner in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, and has chosen not to be open about his sexual orientation at his office. However, he worries that information about his partner will come to light as public health officials will undoubtedly ask for the identity of people he has been in close contact with.

Even those who are open about their sexual orientation are worried about being excluded from important decision-making processes on treatment if their partner is hospitalized with COVID-19.

Kohei Inagaki, 28, and his partner have been recognized by the city of Saitama as partners equivalent to a legally married couple. But he said, “I may not be notified of my partner’s health condition and may not be able to be involved in making decisions on treatment.”

The same survey revealed that there is also a misperception among some LGBTQI couples that they are not eligible for government compensation for parents who take leave from work to look after children due to the school closures prompted by the virus outbreak.

Haru Ono, who is raising three children together with her partner, said the government has not clarified that the program targets all people with kids.

“There are many (LGBTQI) people who have given up on applying for it without knowing” it applies to them, too, said Ono, adding, “I want them to state that same-sex couples are also covered.”

Gon Matsunaka, who heads a nonprofit organization for supporting LGBTQI people, warned that minorities who are often left out in normal circumstances tend to suffer even more during crises, and urged the government to help them.

“We understand that the government’s top priority is protecting the lives of the people, but we want it to take a look at LGBTQI and other people who have serious problems regarding privacy and take measures so that they don’t fall through the safety net,” Matsunaka said.

via Kyodo News

 

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