Features
Illuminating Sexual Identity In Japan
Back in the ’70s, one famous male celebrity underwent a sex change and became a female singer, and Japanese show business is filled with cross-dressing personalities who don’t necessarily undergo operations.
Another transgender singer/songwriter, Ataru Nakamura, made her debut last June and one of her songs is being used as a theme song to a hit TV series this fall.
The Japanese medical community has recently recognized GID as a bona fide medical condition. More importantly, the Japanese government has acknowledged the situation by allowing people to change their gender identification in their family register following surgery.
The family register is considered the basic identifying document in the Japanese legal system. Previously, people who underwent sex changes were still identified by their gender at birth, a situation that often caused problems, especially with passports.
Misao’s voice has been described as “genderless” and her single, “Space in the Heart,” describes her struggle with her sexual identity. She has said that she hopes the song will encourage other young people with GID to come out and talk about their situation.