On July 4, after an intra-party panel meeting held a booklet claiming that homosexuality is a mental disease or addiction, TOKYO LGBTQ rights activists and supporters protested in front of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party LDP headquarters. Volunteers from the LGBTQ community and allies helped organize the rally in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. Participants took turns speaking with a microphone against discrimination, while others formed a long line on the sidewalk holding rainbow flags and signs protesting the booklet.
The booklet was distributed at a June 13 meeting of the LDP Diet members panel of the Shinto political league held in the capital. It included the text of a lecture by a university professor titled Understanding the Truth About homosexuality and same-sex marriage. The text was packed with false information, including homosexuality as a mental disease or addiction, and it's not true that high suicide rates among LGBT people can be attributed to discrimination within society. It was also read: We should not legitimate the sexual lifestyles of sexual minorities, as it will become a social problem that will destroy families and society. The LGBTQ activist and protest organizer Andromeda, 27, told the media: During my junior and senior high school years, I believed there was something wrong with me for being gay, but it is dangerous to send out those kinds of discriminatory messages today, and I thought it should never be tolerated. Gay activist Soshi Matsuoka, who first reported on the booklet, told the protest audience: How long do we have to be discriminated against based on such an illogical argument? We're asking to stop this discrimination and protect our human rights. The Shinto political league is affiliated with the Association of Shinto Shrines, a religious corporation that oversees shrines in Japan. The Diet members panel is made of lawmakers who support the group's ideology.