Chinese diplomat claims trans people are a ‘deformity’ in abhorrent tweet
A Chinese diplomat called trans people a ‘deformity’ in a tweet. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty)
The head of the Chinese consulate in Osaka, Japan posted an abhorrent tweet where he called trans people a “deformity” and said LGBTQ+ rights will “collapse” Westernised civilisation.
On Wednesday (14 June), the consul general of the People’s Republic of China in Osaka, Xue Jian, tweeted: “I don’t mean to discriminate against sexual minorities, but tampering with gender is a deformity, not the evolution of human civilisation.
“Now it is clear that the absolute minority is effectively forcing us, the absolute majority.
“It goes against the basics of majority democracy that the West has long advocated.”
“Ultimately, this is the beginning of the collapse of the Western-style view of civilisation that has swept the world over the last several hundred years,” Xue Jian added.
The tweet comes as pressure ramps up on Japan expand rights for the LGBTQ+ community in the country, as it remains the only G7 nation to not have legalised same-sex marriage.
On 30 May, a court in Japan ruled that court that not allowing same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, despite prime minister Fumio Kishida claiming the ban is not discriminatory to the LGBTQ+ community.
Following the ruling, Yoko Mizushima, the lead lawyer on the case, said: “This has rescued us from the hurt of last year’s ruling that said there was nothing wrong with the ban, and the hurt [caused by] what the government keeps saying.”
According to Equaldex data, around 69 per cent of Japan’s population supports same-sex marriage.
On Friday (16 June), the east Asian nation introduced a watered-down bill which seeks to promote understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.
The piece of legislation was originally slated to be passed in May, before hosting the G7 leaders’ summit, but issues with the wording left it delayed and only submitted to parliament one day prior to the summit beginning.
There have been concerns from activists that the wording of the bill might actually enable bigotry, rather than seek to stamp it out.
In one example, the initial draft stated that discrimination in regards to sexual orientation and gender identity should not be “tolerated” but that was later changed to there “should be no unfair discrimination”.
“Though the original bill was not especially meaningful, I thought it was better than nothing,” lawyer Takeharu Kato told CNN.
“But now I’ve begun to think it might be better to have nothing at all.”
