As a country that still stands behind fairly rigid gender roles, Japan has a long way to go in granting its LGBTQ citizens equal rights. Same-sex couples, for example, are still fighting for their right to get married in Japan, and many in the LGBTQ community experience discrimination and exclusion from society on a daily basis.

Yet in spite of this, every once in a while small strides are made towards equal rights. Transgender women, at least, are slowly gaining acceptance by Japanese society. Last year, Ochanomizu University, a women’s college in Tokyo, announced that they will start accepting transgender women to their programs starting in 2020. A few other women’s universities have done the same, including Nara Women’s University, and Tsuda University, a private women’s college in Tokyo.

Now Chikushi Jogakuen University, a women’s university in Fukuoka, is also adding its name to the list. They announced their decision on the fourth, and said that they intend to outline the details by the end of 2019. They would be the first women’s university in Kyushu to take the path of acceptance.

On a governmental level, equal rights are still a long way off, but little moves like this on the societal level really help make strides towards acceptance of LGBTQ individuals. As same-sex romance is being portrayed more and more in the media, and positive LGBTQ shows like Queer Eye are becoming popular in Japan, awareness of LGBTQ issues are coming into the spotlight.

That leads to minor but important changes, like transgender women being accepted into women’s universities, and gender becoming irrelevant on high school applications. Perhaps, step-by-step, little by little, Japan can carve its way towards a more equal society.