Chinese diplomat’s anti-LGBT tweet causes stir in Japan
- Chinese consul general in Osaka Xue Jian said ‘tampering with gender is a deformity, not the evolution of human civilisation’
- His post came days after Japan passed a much-contested bill to promote understanding of the LGBT community
A tweet by Chinese consul general in Osaka Xue Jian earlier this week in which he described transgender people as being “deformed” has stirred controversy, with some commenting the post is discriminatory against sexual minorities.
Xue tweeted in Japanese on Wednesday, “I don’t mean to discriminate against sexual minorities, but tampering with gender is a deformity, not the evolution of human civilisation.”
The consul general also said “the absolute minority is effectively forcing us – the absolute majority” and claimed it goes against the basics of majority-rules democracy that the West has long advocated.
In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno declined at a press conference on Thursday to comment on Xue’s tweet, but said the government will work toward realising a society where diversity is respected and people value each other’s human rights and dignity.
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Xue’s social media post came as Japan on Friday passed a much-contested bill to promote understanding of the LGBT community amid criticism that the legislation provides no human rights guarantees and may tacitly encourage some forms of discrimination.
