The Iwate Prefectural Government has changed the wording of guidelines created to deepen the understanding of sexual minorities by its employees after criticism arose over the description on how it relates to the use of sex-segregated bathrooms.

The move has been seen as a setback for the prefectural government’s consideration for LGBTQ people. An assistant professor at a university who had been involved in the compilation of the guideline requested that her name be taken off the list of supervisors to protest the change.

Officials from the prefectural government said the guideline was modified because there was a misleading expression. The expression in question was included in a section featuring examples of how to respond to cases relating to sexual minorities using public facilities and at schools.

The guideline, created in February 2021, mentioned a case in which an LGBTQ person used a sex-segregated bathroom and other users complained about it.

Regarding how prefectural government employees should cope with such a case, the guidelines initially said, “Explain that it is a facility used by a variety of people and ask for the understanding of those who complained.”

On May 25, the phrase was changed to: “Explain that it is a facility used by a variety of people and that there should be a mutual understanding and respect among all parties involved."

The names of the three supervisors at the end of the guidelines were also deleted.

The pressure to change the expression came after Liberal Democratic Party members of the Lower House who are opposed to a recently enacted law to promote understanding for sexual minorities posted the original sentence on social media in mid-May.

Some people left comments on social media. One said, “Does that mean the people who complained should bear with the situation?” while another said, “People who identify themselves as female but with a man’s body will come into a women’s bathroom.” There were also comments expressing worries over possible cases of sexual assault.

The prefectural government said it received a couple of protest phone calls and decided to make the change after internal discussions.

“We made the judgment not because we received criticisms, but because the expression was misleading,” a prefectural government official said.

Azusa Yamashita, an assistant professor at Hirosaki University’s Office for Promotion of Gender Equality, who supervised the creation of the guideline, said, “The realities of minorities are not being understood. Prefectural government officials should stand on the side of minorities to guarantee rights. They should reconsider (the change).”

She said she was told of the change by the prefectural government on May 25 and requested that her name be taken out of the list of supervisors.

A prefectural government official in charge asked for understanding of the change, saying, “The gist, which is to respond by asking for understanding of people of various stances, has not changed.”

Unlike guidelines of other local governments, the Iwate government’s guidelines ask its employees to take specific actions to cope with related issues.

“(A guideline on) how to respond to the issue of bathroom use is a difficult problem which leads to criticisms no matter how it is written,” the official said.

Among the six prefectures in the Tohoku region, only Iwate and Fukushima have released guidelines for employees on how to deal with LGBTQ issues.

Miyagi Prefecture has an internal document on basic knowledge of related issues. The prefectural governments of Aomori, Akita and Yamagata have not created such documents.

Regarding sexual minorities’ use of bathrooms and changing rooms, the Fukushima government’s guideline goes only as far as saying, “Consider how to make arrangements with other users.”

Most guidelines by prefectural governments in other regions don’t mention what specific actions should be taken by employees, with Ibaraki Prefecture’s guidelines stating how to deal with the issue “should be considered in advance” and Kumamoto Prefecture’s saying “issues and responses should be looked into beforehand.”

Iwate’s guidance initially said, “ask for the understanding of those who complained,” which would appear to promote the rights of sexual minorities.

The change made to the guidance to say “there should be a mutual understanding and respect” still appears more specific than other local governments’ guidelines about how employees should behave, but supporters of sexual minorities are disappointed by the move, saying it is a change that makes it harder for sexual minorities in their day-to-day lives.

Keiko Kaizuma, the deputy head of Iwate University who is well-versed in sexual minorities’ rights, said, “The more the expressions get into how to respond, the more criticisms arise. I think it is necessary for local governments to make up their minds to stand in the position of minorities.”

Arguing that excluding sexual minorities will not end sexual violence, Kaizuma said, “In response to voices of concern, it is important to send out a message at the same time that we should not tolerate any violence.”

This section features topics and issues from the Tohoku region covered by the Kahoku Shimpo, the largest newspaper in Tohoku. The original article was published June 18.