Kanako Otsuji

by Jess McCabe // 9 June 2008, 12:39

Sayoni Speak has a great interview up with Kanako Otsuji, Japan's first openly lesbian politician. According to Wikipedia, she is one of seven women in the Osaka Assembly, which has 110 members overall.

A small excerpt:

As I struggled to accept myself, I hoped to change society. During that period, I was a student and got an internship with a politician - that’s how I learnt that politics can change society.
During my interview with the politician to obtain the internship, I told them about my sexual orientation and I asked them what changes politics could bring.
While I was on internship, the office I was working for actually brought up questions to the assembly about gay people. I was very moved. Laws pertaining to LGBT had been underground until then (swept under the carpet).

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