Thousands March in Central Tokyo For LGBT awareness

TOKYO, Japan, -May 7: Thousands of people took part in a parade in Tokyo's Shibuya district Sunday to raise awareness of issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, marching on along busy shopping streets led by a float decorated in rainbow colors. About 6,000 participated, including people with disabilities calling for the elimination of discrimination, according to nonprofit organization Tokyo Rainbow Pride that organized the parade. It was the sixth time such a parade was held in Shibuya, the organizer said. In April 2015, Tokyo's Shibuya Ward became the first municipality in the country to recognize same-sex partnerships as equivalent to marriage, passing an ordinance for the issuance of ward certificates to such couples. Several municipalities have since followed suit. A special law enacted in 2004 paved the way in the country for transgender people to change their registered sex under certain conditions. Around 6,000 people had subsequently changed their sex by the end of 2015.