ABSTRACT
The chapter explores experiences of gender diverse belonging amongst trans people in Norway and Japan. The starting point is legal gender recognition, as the sterilisation requirement for legal gender change was overturned in Norway in 2016 but upheld as constitutional in Japan in 2019. Interviews were carried out with trans activists in each country in regards to their experiences of trans-specific medical, legal and social rights. The authors compare the two contexts’ interviews on three issues related to legal gender recognition: Attitudes toward sterilisation, gender-diverse un/acceptance and achieving a sense of belonging as a trans person. The findings demonstrate that, despite the apparent difference in trans rights, the maintenance of cisnormative institutional and cultural values is rife in both contexts.
