• [Random] Thoughts,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    transphobia & non-binary erasure in Japanese media

    on Twitter i live-tweet my frustrations with various things i see on Japanese TV, including how trans and non-binary celebs are treated. the downside to this is that tweets quickly get lost in my timeline and then it’s a pain in the ass to dig them back up if/when i want to reference them. this post is me digging up some of those tweets and putting them here for my own ease of reference and so others can see examples of transphobia & non-binary erasure in Japanese media.

  • [Random] Thoughts,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    …the things i do to not be a ひきこもり (その①)

    ahhh, okay so i just need to vent. feel free to ignore this. someone in an Xジェンダー (Japanese non-binary) group that i’m in posted a link to a party being held in Tokyo on the 26th. there’s often some kinda of gay (literally always with fine print saying ‘men only’) or lesbian (literally always with fine print saying ‘women only’) event going on in Tokyo. more recently there are events aimed at trans men– but anyway, the point is i’m none of those things. and i haven’t really cared that much because i’m the definition of introversion. i have zero interest in night life and all of these events always happen at night. why is it that LGBTQ events more often than not involve late nights, loud music and copious amounts of alcohol??? moving on.

  • [A]sexuality,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    VICELAND – GAYCATION Episode 1: Japan

    from VICE.com: GAYCATION follows Ellen and Ian as they set off to explore LGBT cultures around the world. From Japan to Brazil to Jamaica to the USA, the two meet some fascinating people during their travels and hear their stories. In the first episode of the series, Ellen and Ian head to Japan, where same-sex marriage is still not legal and same-sex couples often bear a social stigma. However, certain cities have begun to recognize same-sex partnerships and the LGBT community continues to thrive in the country’s vibrant culture and nightlife. Ellen and Ian find out what it’s really like to identify as LGBT in Japan and meet some of the people struggling to find their voice in a country that refuses to give them equal rights under the law. so, episode 1 of GAYCATION can be watched in full (44mins) on YouTube. if you’re interested in what it’s like…

  • Black[ness],  Japan[ese],  Q&A

    Q&A: “What do you think about the treatment of black people specifically in Japan?

    anonymous said: Hi, I’m also a black agender person from the states. What do you think about the treatment of black people specifically in Japan? hmm…. i’m finding this question really hard to answer because it’s so…. vague? and open-ended? hmm… i could respond to this with a really long winded answer, but i’m tired and should be in bed, so i’ll give you an abbreviated one! while Japan in has internalized antiblackness issues just like anywhere else, i don’t think that Japan (as a whole) treats black people any specific way. there are people who fetishize or idolize black (specifically black American) culture / music / people… these people are really fucking annoying to run into, but for the most part people are respectful and curious in a healthy way. aside from the aforementioned fetishists, i’d say the most troublesome thing that a black person encounters in Japan that…

  • [Random] Thoughts,  Black[ness],  Japan[ese]

    western bullshit travels & comes out of the mouth of babes. ugh.

    …in one of my classes today we were discussing colors and food. we were in the middle of discussing food that’s yellow and someone’d said banana, so i wrote it on the board under yellow. all of the kids were talking at once shouting colors and foods, but then one kid talks louder to try to get my attention. kid: ne ne! i heard foreigners call Japanese people “yellow”! me: *quickly turns to kid wide-eyed* …what?? kid: yeah, like you know how there’s black people, they call Japanese people “yellow monkeys”. me: *staring at this kid totally wide-eyed and slack-jawed in utter disbelief* *in the seconds of silence while my mind’s thinking a million different things, a few other kids stop talking and stare at me having noted my odd reaction* me: *5 secs that feel like a minute later* that’s hella offensive, where did you hear– never mind, what’s…

  • 海外に行ったもうひとつの理由は、「どこかに行けば、もっと住みやすい場所があるのではないか」という自分探しの旅でもあったのです。海外を旅していて周囲からは「いいね、楽しそうだね」と言われたけれど、実は旅をしていた時が一番苦しかったと思います。

    逃げたいと思って行ったはずの海外はもっと残酷で、世界中のどこに行っても「She? He?」と聞かれ続けたのです。南極に行った時、男性とルームシェアをするのか女性とルームシェアをするのかで揉めた時に「世界の果てに行っても、性別からは逃げられないんだ。世界中のどこに行っても、自分からは逃げられない。」と気づきました。

    エジプトの砂漠で絶景を見て感動をしていても、心のどこかで自分の身体に苦しんでいる自分がいて「こんなところに来てまでも僕は自分の身体が嫌なんだ」と確信が生まれ、手術を決意したのです。

    ずっと生きやすい場所はないかと探してきたけれど、これからは自分にとって都合のよい場所を探すのではなく、今いる場所を気持ちよく生きられるようにしていこうと思うようになりました。

    杉山文野 - laph FTM マガジン Vol. 10 
    [Random] Thoughts,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    this quote though

    one more reason why i went abroad was because it was a trip for myself who thought ‘if i go somewhere there’ll be an easier place [for me] to live.’ while traveling those around me said ‘that seems fun, you must be enjoying yourself,’ but actually i think the time when i was travelling was the hardest. life abroad, where i thought i’d be able to get away [from it all] ended up being brutal and no matter where in the world i went i kept being asked ‘She? He?’ when i went to the South Pole i got into a dispute over whether to do a room share with males or females. then i realized ‘even if i go to the end of the world, i can’t escape being gendered. no matter where in the world i go, i can’t escape myself.’ even while being moved by the spectacular…

  • [Random] Thoughts,  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness],  YouTube[r]

    QAC 42 – Yokohama Rainbow Festa + Tokyo Meanderings | Tag Along

    Yokohama recently hosted its first Pride event, Yokohama Rainbow Festa! i decided to go and bring you all along for the fun. 🙂 it’s super rare that i find things for ace, non-binary and other lesser-known orientations at a Pride event,  especially in Japan, but this year i found quite a bit made by local artists. after Yokohama i headed to Tokyo where i met a new friend and fellow non-binary ace. we had yummy vegan food before heading to Shibuya where things got a bit…. Halloween-mob-crazy. Only In Tokyo, i swear. the video is long, but there’s a 14hr day crammed into those 17mins. 😛 obviously this jvlogger type of video is outside the norm for this channel, but if you like what you see give it a thumbs up! literally 2 full days worth of work went into this video, so this wont ever become a regular thing,…

  • Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    Pride haul

    today’s haul from Yokohama Rainbow Festa. 🙂 got a good selection of ace stuff, a non-binary necklace, a pair of aromantic earrings and the latest editions of Novia Novia (lesbian/bi womens’ mag) and LapH (FTM mag). everything aside from the magazines is from にじいろ小町/Nijiiro Komachi, a shop that gives artists a place to sell their goods. there was non-binary, genderqueer, aromantic, pansexual and asexual stuff that i didn’t buy even buy! it’s great to see artists being more inclusive when they make things. i’m pretty sure some of the artists who are making the ace things are ace themselves. i even met one of them today! 🙂 thinking about doing a giveaway at some point in the future as i really don’t need nor want all of this stuff… D; tomorrow i’ll be editing the crazy amount of video that i took in Yokohama and Tokyo zzz…

  • [A]sexuality,  [Random] Thoughts,  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    spotted: same-gender marriage feature on Japanese news

    there i was, doing stuff on my computer totally not paying attention to the news on TV, when i looked up and saw “LGBT” in big letters on the screen. i ran and got my phone to take photos lmao. the story was about an American and Japanese same-gender couple trying to get married in Japan. about how for the American it was so frustrating because same-gender marriage had finally been made legal in his home country, but here in Japan wedding agency after agency kept refusing them because they wouldn’t perform a same-gender wedding, but then finally after months of trying they found an agency who would wed them. they were even able to be wed at a shrine like they wanted. 🙂 in the end, they also got married in America too, so it was a happy ending! in Japan where LGBT/セクマイ awareness is extremely low and the…

  • [Random] Thoughts,  Art[sy Fartsy],  Japan[ese],  Mental [Un]health,  Queer[ness]

    ”Daily ? UGHs”

    random doodle about random things that i hear my students say to each other or that they say to me on any given day that make me go UGH. “SHE’s 30 and not married! lol” “you don’t have kids??” “don’t worry, you still have time! (to get married, have kids)” “lol T-chan もしかしてお前オカマ?! (don’t tell me you’re a tranny!)” “sensei’s on OUR team!” “but you’re a girl!” “キモイ!ホモかよ?! (eww! what are you, a homo?!)” “only girls would understand, right *given name*!” and the saddest, most frustrating part is that most of this is said by kids under 10 years old…