[A]sexuality,  [Random] Thoughts,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

…one of many examples of why navigating セクマイ / LGBTQIA spaces in Japan can be painful at times.

first the context: the above screenshot is from the registration form for a meetup that i’ll be attending that is exclusively for trans men and non-binary people who are AFAB who have not medically transitioned in any way. the meetup is being hosted by a group that itself is a support group for trans men and non-binary people who are AFAB and who have not medically transitioned in any way + their partners………..

then the whinging: while the above screenshot is from a specific form, nothing about it is unique to this one form. the word セクシャリティ, which is a loanword taken directly from the English word “sexuality”, is commonly used in Japan (more specifically, in the Japanese セクマイ / LGBTQIA community) to indiscriminately refer to both orientation and gender– but gender only when it’s in reference to trans and / or non-binary people. it’s not at all uncommon to see people and organizations within the LGBTQIA community(/ies) here use セクシャリティ (or セク for short) in this way to refer to what is essentially one’s identity within the context of the セクマイ / LGBTQIA community without regard to the fact that, you know, being trans or non-binary is not a goddamn sexuality as the word セクシャリティ / sexuality would suggest.

image: another example from a random site

in fact, the very word that serves the same function as LGBTQIA in Japan, セクマイ (”sekumai”) is short for セクシャルマイノリティ (”sekusharu mainoriti”) or “sexual minority”, which is problematic because, you know…. being trans and / or non-binary has nothing to do with being a sexual minority and yet this word is meant to (and is actively used to) encompass trans and non-binary people.

i could go into a rant about Japan’s complicated relationship with the concepts of sex vs gender vs sexuality, but i’m too exhausted for that and that’s not the point of this post, so moving on. annoying shit is annoying #1.

it’s common (read: standard) within trans and non-binary communities in Japan (and outside of such communities when it comes to medical service providers, etc) to refer to medical transition as “treatment” (治療) and lack of medical transition as being “untreated” (未治療).

image: random clippings from random websites.

this, of course, stems from the fact that being trans and / or non-binary in Japan is still commonly viewed as a disorder (ie. 性同一性障害 or gender identity disorder) both by trans and / or non-binary people themselves as well as by the general public and medical practitioners. there’s a lot going on in regards to why many trans and / or non-binary people in Japan continue to view transness and non-binaryness as a disorder with some even strongly against its demedicalization, but again i’m too exhausted to go into that and that’s beyond this post anyway. annoying shit is annoying #2.

all this to say that life in Japan is so fucking annoying and frustrating at times. i have to put up with, overlook and shrug off so much shit that bothers me here, be it in regards to gender or otherwise, and it’s just so….. exhausting. sigh.

YouTuber and Blogger, Vesper is an American expat currently living in Japan.

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