Japanese court allows trans man to update gender... without surgery

[Jessica_Rose]

Japanese court allows trans man to update gender on official docs without surgery in landmark case

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/japanese-court-allows-trans-man-to-update-gender-on-official-docs-without-surgery-in-landmark-case/ar-BB1i7BRu?cvid=2144b257bf1f4b469d1d82a52f86176a&ei=28

Story by John Russell (11 Feb 2024)

Months after Japan's Supreme Court struck down part of a law requiring transgender people to undergo surgery to have their gender legally recognized, a court in the western part of the country has ruled that a trans man can update his gender on official documents without undergoing surgical sterilization.

Okayama family court's Tsuyama branch handed down the ruling Wednesday in favor of 50-year-old Tacaquito Usui, according to The Guardian. Usui initially applied to have his gender updated in his family registry five years ago, but his request was denied. This week, the court ruled that because he has been receiving hormone therapy, Usui's documents can be updated to reflect his gender.

The decision comes after Japan's Supreme Court struck down part of a 2003 law mandating the absence of reproductive organs in order to change one's gender on official documents, effectively requiring trans people to undergo surgical sterilization. In October, the court's 15-judge Grand Bench ruled unanimously that the requirement was unconstitutional.