Taiwanese writer Li Kotomi comes out as trans after being outed

Acclaimed Taiwanese fiction writer Li Kotomi publicly came out as trans after being compelled by social media posts that disclosed her background.

“I was assigned the wrong gender when I was born, and I later corrected it to female,” Li shared with The Asahi Shimbun on Nov. 25.

At the age of 34, Li mentioned she “fled to Japan” in 2013 due to bullying and discrimination faced for being trans.

“I could not live with peace of mind in Taiwan,” she explained.

Identifying as a lesbian, Li disclosed on social media on Nov. 20 that she is also trans, according to ‘Asahi’.

This date marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, honouring trans individuals who have lost their lives due to discrimination.

Li revealed that she was outed on platforms like X after her 2021 win of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for her work ‘Higanbana ga Saku Shima’ (The island where red spider lilies bloom).

Initially, these posts were in Chinese but later appeared in Japanese.

Li mentioned that a civil case is ongoing concerning these posts by individuals residing in Taiwan.

Similar to many trans individuals, Li preferred not to disclose her gender transition.

Li previously declined to address whether she is trans, labelling it a “despicable question.”

“I am a female and lesbian,” the author stated. “The fact that I am transgender is not something that forms the essence of myself.”

However, the outing did not cease even after legal action, and Li expressed feeling “cornered to the point where I considered suicide.”

She felt compelled to speak out to highlight that “outing is a grave infringement of human rights that could drive (trans people) to death.”

Li remarked that she had achieved her dream of becoming a novelist and “survived” thus far despite facing oppression for being a sexual minority.

“My coming out resulted from being outed, but I hope that my existence will give hope to someone,” she expressed.

In 2015, a gay student tragically fell to his death from a building at Tokyo’s Hitotsubashi University after being outed by a classmate he had confided in about his romantic feelings.

The 25-year-old was enrolled in the university’s Graduate School of Law.

In 2020, Tokyo High Court rejected his parents’ claim for damages, asserting the university's response was not illegal.

Yet, the court acknowledged that outing is an “unforgivable act that grossly invades (an individual’s) personal and privacy rights.”