Japan took a step in the right direction of LGBTQ+ acceptance this week by recognizing two men as foster parents for the first time. The couple, who are in their 30s and 40s, have been caring for the teenage boy since February.
Prior to this change, LGBTQ+ couples were denied from becoming foster parents, and the only way around that was to foster the child as a single parent.
“Previously, a female couple in the Kanto region were recognized as eligible to become foster parents, but only individually,” wrote The Japan Times. “They raised the one child together after each was granted custody.”
This appears to be a huge change for Japan’s views on the LGBTQ+ community, and has set a precedent for future approval of same-sex couples as foster parents.
“I am happy we became foster parents [and recognised] as a single household, not just as individuals,” one of the men shared with The Japan Times. “The boy may feel puzzled to live with people who were not with him when he was in an early age, but we hope to become the ones who think of him first and can be relied on when he is in need.”
