LGBTQ+ and Pride in Japan

Let me start by saying I am not a member of the LGBT community. In fact I didn't even know what LGBTQ, Pride, transitioning, or anything was until I went off to UNCG [The University of North Carolina at Greensboro]. I knew what being gay or lesbian was because I had friends in high school who were and even some family friends. But I never thought about what that meant or the difficulties that went with it.

I was a transfer student at UNCG and all student participate in a welcome/introduction day. We were placed in small groups based on our family names and participated in small group in an attempt to form friendships during this new and exciting time. During introductions, I remember this one girl said that she liked girls and she was happy to "finally be in a place were [she] could be [herself] and be accepted." I remember thinking why? and I didn't understand what she meant, now I know that was my privilege talking.

A year later I became an RA (Resident Advisor) on the campus and I loved it. By this time I had made friends with a few LGBTQ people but I don't think at the time I truly understood, again, what this meant. I received training which taught me how hard it was for people in the community but I had never witnessed or experienced it so I didn’t I truly understood until a few months later. I had formed a great community (if you don't mind me bragging) among my floor and the students on it, a groups of 30 girls and myself who are still great friends.

And one day it clicked for me what it meant to support people within the LGBTQ+ community and why I wanted to truly be an Ally. One of my students, came to my door clearly nervous and a bit upset. She asked if she could talk to me privately. I invited her in sat her down and for, what felt like a life time for me and probably and eternity for her we just looked at each other. I remember she kept picking the nail polish off her nails which fell to the floor and suddenly she burst into tears and I immediately started to sweat! She just cried for a good 5 minutes, I assumed it was the pressure of school, a common reaction among first years.

Finally, She looked up and apologized and told me that she liked girls. She had always felt different and finally it clicked for her. But then she started to cry again telling me how I was the first and only person she had told. She couldn't tell her family, which was a strict Catholic household. I was surprised she came to me! and I realized that I didn't form a community I formed a family, and when my students joked and called me "mom", for some, it was genuine. She cried and honestly I started to cry too all her pent up feeling flowed out of her and hit me like a strong wave. I told her how strong and brave she was to tell me and that no matter what I(and the rest of our floor family) would be there for her. We still message every now and then, 7 years later, and she always starts and ends the message by calling me mom.

This is what it means to be an Ally.

Not just someone who supports the LGBTQ+ community but someone who openly helps, supports, and becomes family.

Now being in Japan I feel my roll as an ally has changed and it is a hard.

I'll be honest I don't know everything about the LGBTQ+ community let alone the community in Japan, honestly the language is still a huge barrier for me. But using Equaldex a web based LGBTQ+ data collection website, I did find some interesting tidbits.

Though, here (based on 2013) surveys it is said the majority and accepting and think that is not necessarily true. Accepting and truly recognizing is a bit different in my opinion.

1. As you can see in Japan homosexuality is legal in Japan. Now it is important to remember "legal" and "recognized" or "accepted" are very different things. Legal means that if you are homosexual then the government won't kick down your door and imprison you. But this doesn't necessarily mean it is an easy ride from here.

2. Marriage is still not recognized. Though, as of February 2018, 10 same-sex couples jointly filed a lawsuit against the Japanese Government and referring to Article 24 of the [Japanese] Constitution which says, “Marriage shall be based only on the mutual consent of both sexes.” This Article was clearly interpreted to mean one male and one female but lawyers are arguing that it is vague and not a clear prohibition against same-sex couples.

3. If you are looking to transition and take the leap for gender reassignment surgery you can. But currently You cannot change you "gender" that is officially registered unless you follow the Japan’s Law 111 which requires people who seek a legal change of gender to have a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, have body parts that “resemble the genital organs of those of the opposite gender" and have no functioning reproductive glands, in other words you must agree to and subject yourself to sterilization. There is an option to for people who wish to apply for a legal gender change through Japan's family court must also be at least 20 years old, unmarried and without any children who are minors.

4. Adoption laws are up to the prefecture (states) and even the cities. On top of that most people in Japan don't really think about adoption or consider that unless an heir for succession is needed and even then it tends to be a 20-something year old that is adopted by their mentor to take over a company or some sort. We'll talk a bit more about adoption in a moment.

5. If you join or volunteer for a military role then it is very much a "don't ask, don't tell" atmosphere.

6. When donating blood most of the time you'll be turned away. Unless there is a need for donation and then usually that means you will have needed to abstain from intercourse for about 6 or more months.

7. Housing,Employment, and just general Discrimination; you have very little to protect yourself. There are no laws protecting your rights nor stopping others from doing it. In fact, there are more laws and regulations protecting the person discriminating against you.

I mentioned adoption before and it is a totally valid option for people, and LGBTQ+ couples in certain areas, to help a suffering group of children but sadly we live in a society in Japan were LGBTQ+ communities have an amazing opportunity to help but the government looks down at them. A very clear example of this was when Mio Sugita, a lower house member of the Liberal Democratic party (LDP), sparked widespread criticism after she challenged the use of taxpayers’ money to support same-sex marriages in a magazine article published last month.

She publicly claimed that same-sex couples “don’t produce children. In other words, they lack productivity and, therefore, do not contribute to the prosperity of the nation.”

Yet, she didn't recognize the possibility (if government law were changed) of the 26,000 children in need of home who are stuck in institutions could be adopted into the loving LGBT families!

Same-sex couples are not allowed to legally adopt in Japan. Lesbian couples and single women are unable to access IVF and artificial insemination. In April 2017, Osaka officially recognized a same-sex couple as foster parents, making it the first such case in Japan.

The Human Rights Watch, an international human rights advocacy organization, is calling out politicians to change and make adjustments in regards to gender identity so Japan can join the slowly increasing list of LGBTQ+ friendly countries by the time is hosts the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

But even with domestic and international groups pushing and begging for changes to be made it has been a slow crawl in regards to actions made by the government. So personally as an Ally in Japan I often feel lost in how I can help or what I can do, most due to my own language barriers. That's when I decided Pride was the best way to show support and to see what could be done.

The Gay Passport, a website to assist LGBTQ+ community member in planning their own "gaycations", mentions Japan’s week long Tokyo Pride and is one of the biggest Pride event sin Japan. Other Pride events in Japan include;

• Pink Dot Okinawa (ピンクドット沖縄) in July

• Sapporo Rainbow March+ (さっぽろレインボーマーチ+) in October

• Aichi Nagoya Lesbian & Gay Revolution Plus (NLGR+) in May

• Nagoya Nijiiro Domannaka Parade (虹色どまんなかパレード) or Nijipare for short in September

• Yokohama Diversity Parade (横浜ダイバーシティーパレード) in October

• Kyushu Rainbow Pride (九州レインボープライド) in November

• Aomori Rainbow Parade (青森レインボーパレード) in April

• Rainbow Parade Kumamoto (レインボーパレードくまもと) in November

• Tohoku Rainbow Summer (東北レインボーSUMMER) in August

• Mie Rainbow Festa (みえレインボーフェスタ) in September

I live in a small town so for me the closest Pride was Kyushu Rainbow Pride and it was so much fun, though I went on my own everyone was quite kind and helpful. Kyushu Rainbow Pride is a celebration of life and Japanese LGBTQ+ culture in a free society, attended by 7,000-ish people. Which included a Pride Parade and inclusivity for persons with disabilities and wheelchair users who could also join the parade by riding the Fukuoka Open Top Bus. And as someone who studied sign language I very very happy to see they even had a JSL (Japanese Sign Language) interpreter. When I first entered I was asked if I needed and interpreter for the event (Japanese <-> English).

But I don’t think this is where inclusivity ends. Even the US has made strides in more representation through casting LGBTQ+ roles on TV and in movies, though they tend to be the more stereotypical “Gay-best friend” or the “sexy lesbian/bisexual”. These are still strides towards more representation. Japan is no different, representation matters. There is a whole collection of BL/Yaoi/Yuri manga (typically LGBTQ+ love stories) though these tend to be a fetishized category and poor representation of the LGBTQ+ community..

Most surprising was the Manga 弟の夫(My Brother’s Husband). The manga follows the relationship between single father Yaichi, his daughter Kana, and Mike (The Canadian husband of Yaichi’s estranged and recently deceased twin brother) The manga discusses ideas and difficulties of homophobia, cultural differences, and family. The manga was publishized from 2014 till 2017. The manga was then picked up by NHK (Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai, official English name: Japan Broadcasting Corporation) as a live action dipiction.

Prior to My Brother’s husband there was another drama called Transit Girl which showed the life and struggles of a lesbian relationship.

Also recently, the reality TV show Terrace House, Episode 32 in Part 5, new house member 21 year-old Shunsuke Ikezoe who has been dubbed the first openly LGBTQ+ member to join the house.

(How do I end this....) I'm not sure. Hopefully in time in an update that discusses the improvements of human rights for the LGBTQ+ community in Japan.