Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Q&A,  Queer[ness]

Q&A: “I just saw how to say you’re non-binary in Japanese and it was super exciting for me…”

anonymous said:

Hi. I just saw the ask you answered about how to say you’re non-binary in Japanese and it was super exciting for me to see. I’m a non-binary teen living in Japan, and it’s amazing to see that because it’s a sign that there is an active community of non-binary people that is large enough for these words to exist. It’s wonderful.

( re: this post )

hello, anon. thanks for stopping by to drop me this ask because it’s exciting for me to hear that my post was able to reach someone like you. awesome!

while awareness of Xジェンダー people still has a long way to go in Japan (as it does for non-binary people around the world), there definitely are active Xジェンダー people in Japan. in Japanese, many describe themself as MtX, FtX, Xジェンダー or any of the other terms i mentioned in the post that you saw, but yeah. it can be hard to find them (us) offline let alone know that we exist in the numbers that we do, which is part of the reason why the internet and Twitter in particular are so awesome, but really we’re everywhere. in fact, many of the Xジェンダー people that i know who are Japanese are around my age (mid 20s to mid 30s) or older. there are Xジェンダー elders out there actively working to make things better for me and for you, as well as for generations to come.

you’re not alone. 🙂

actually, if you’re interested in finding out more about Xジェンダー in Japan and can read Japanese, a Tokyo-based group called Label X published a book last year about being Xジェンダー in Japan. you may be able to find it at a largish Kinokuniya near you, but if not you can also order it through Amazon Japan.

anyway, thanks again for the message! all the best~

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

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