A Japanese lawmaker is being criticized for saying that Japan would collapse if everyone suddenly became LGBT, according to Japan Times.
Katsuei Hirasawa, a member of Japan's Liberal Democratic party, made these remarks on Nippon News Network's national broadcast on Friday, and his comment quickly drew criticism from many people across social media networks.
Hirasawa told people in the Yamanashi Prefecture that "criticizing LGBT would create problems, but if everyone became like them then a nation would collapse” and that he does not understand Tokyo's Shibuya Ward's move to recognize same-sex marriage, as at a national level, such marriages aren't legally recognized.
His comment on societal collapse came because he and many other Japanese politicians are upset about Japan's low birth rate, and, presumably, Hirasawa believes that LGBT people do not produce a favorable outcome in terms of childbearing. Other politicians have felt the same way, such as Mio Sugita, another person belonging to the Liberal Democratic Party. She has said in the past that the Japanese government shouldn't be using the tax payer's money for LGBT rights because same-sex couples aren't productive.
In this day and age and in a developed country such as Japan, LGBT people have many options in regard to having and raising children, so his comment about how if everyone became LGBT Japan would collapse is uninformed and misguided. Plus, it's not like The Gay can be transferred like a cold, so what he suggested is also ridiculous. It is a good sign, however, that some areas of Japan are recognizing same-sex marriages as valid unions because the sooner LGBT become accepted in society, the sooner comments like the ones Hirasawa and Sugita made will decrease.
h/t: Japan Times