LGBT people in East Asia are increasingly enjoying broader levels of acceptance from both the public and governments in the region.
Taiwan’s Pride was attended by around 80,000 people this past October, and the Hong Kong Pride Parade saw a record 10,000 marchers. Public opinion towards LGBT rights, particularly among young people, has also progressed. Pew Research Center polling indicates that 71 percent of young people in South Korea, and 83 percent in Japan, think that homosexuality ought to be accepted. Two municipalities in Tokyo recently started issuing same-sex marriage certificates.
Many LGBT people, however, still struggle to live openly and honestly with their families and in the workplace. One Japanese man told The Christian Science Monitor that his mother has met his boyfriend, but they don’t talk about his sexuality. He further stated that it would be “impossible” to be out at the Japanese finance company where he works.