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Queer As Cat

gender・ sexuality・ race ・intersectionality

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  • Home
  • About
    • About QAC
    • About Vesper
  • Photos
    • Instagram
    • Tokyo Rainbow Pride
      • 2014
      • 2015
      • 2016
      • 2017
      • 2018
  • Resources
    • Asexual POC Resources
    • #LGBTQIA in Japan
  • Contact

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  • [A]sexuality,  Japan[ese],  Q&A,  Queer[ness]

    Q&A: “I was wondering if you know of any articles or websites about what it’s like being ace in Japan…”

    August 20, 2016 / No Comments

    anonymous said: Hi there….I was wondering if you know of any articles or websites about what it’s like being ace in Japan (especially from the perspective of any ace people who are natively Japanese). I’m just interested in reading people’s experiences, where they learned about asexuality, etc. I tried searching google, but so much acephobic garbage came up that I had to finally shut down my browser. D: aside from the things that @harris-hijiri​ writes, which aren’t necessarily about the experience of being ace in Japan, i’m afraid that i don’t know of personal writing on being ace in Japan as a Japanese person that’s written in English. i tried searching for some, but i swear if i come across another article on herbivore men or ‘the japanese sex/population crisis’ written from a Western-centric point of view i’m going to throw my laptop out the goddamn window. everything that i could…

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    Vesper H.

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    AskAPan Week 07 – Family responses to the LGBTQ community

    July 5, 2013

    Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2016: Asexual & Trans / Non-binary Awesomeness!

    May 14, 2016

    Ash Hardell’s “The ABC’s of LGBT+” in Japanese!

    November 25, 2017
  • "Why Transgender People In Japan Prefer To Be Told They Have A "Disorder""
    [Random] Thoughts,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Mental [Un]health,  Queer[ness]

    ARTICLE: “Why Transgender People In Japan Prefer To Be Told They Have A “Disorder””

    August 17, 2016 / No Comments

    content warning:  pathologization / medicalization of being trans; non-binary erasure; death mention (below) while i don’t agree with everything in this article (from how things are presented or worded to more factual things), this article is still representative of the sad truth that i’m continually navigating as a non-binary person in Japan. from the way that trans people themselves here actively embrace and rally behind Gender Identity Disorder (GID) not only as a medical condition but as an identity to how pathologized & medicalized literally everything surrounding being trans is here and how that can make things especially difficult for non-binary / Xジェンダー people, even when interacting with people in the trans community which is full of transmedicalism. the blatant non-binary erasure (dare i say enbyphobia) demonstrated by the head of the largest trans / GID organization in this country illustrates that perfectly in this article. “I reject the notion of…

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    Vesper H.

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    re: gaslighting in the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election

    November 19, 2016

    5 years and counting…

    May 14, 2018

    Miitomo

    April 21, 2016
  • 『[4コマ]☆Xジェンダー☆』
    [Random] Thoughts,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    『[4コマ]☆Xジェンダー☆』

    July 31, 2016 / No Comments

    …sigh. you know, i really want to be happy about these LGBTQIA 4-koma comics that Chii is doing to try and help raise awareness for lesser known genders and sexualities, but gah. i just can’t. because i suck. the linked comic that went up a couple days ago about Xジェンダー / non-binary is the last one i’m going to whinge over, i swear. for now. but first, an English translation of the comic to give context to my whinging. What’s “X-gender”? Xジェンダー (X-gender) people who, without deciding between “male” or “female”, take the stance or identity of being neither gender. referred to as “MtX” if designated “male” at birth and “FtX” if designated “female” at birth, however also referred to simply as “X” when not wanting to refer to one’s designated gender at birth. there are many definitions, but it goes something like this. red and white*: i want to be between male and female.…

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    Vesper H.

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    “i am bisexual”

    February 2, 2013

    IF {subcommunity building} THEN {…?}

    March 11, 2019

    got a new hat…! W00T!

    August 9, 2014
  • [A]sexuality,  Japan[ese],  Q&A,  Queer[ness]

    Q&A: “I have a question regarding the Japanese use of the terms asexual and nonsexual…”

    July 27, 2016 / No Comments

    anonymous post: I have a question regarding the Japanese use of the terms asexual and nonsexual. Is asexual generally used by all aces on the aromantic spectrum or do arospec aces who sometimes feel romantic attraction (such as grey aromantics) typically prefer to use nonsexual? I’d like to get more involved with the ace community when I (hopefully) move to Japan, but I feel like the Japanese terminology doesn’t even let me describe myself… (re: this post) bearing in mind that everything i’m about to say is based entirely on my own limited experience and observation… i can count the number of times i’ve met or heard of a Japanese person actively identifying in some way as gray or demi on one hand. generally speaking, awareness of nuanced ace & aro spectrum identities / orientations is hardly a thing among Japanese aces. the only time i hear any explicit mention of…

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    Vesper H.

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    QAC 34 – Distancing Yourself From Family

    February 16, 2015

    Documentary Explores The Reality Of Being Black And Gay In The Church

    November 14, 2015

    QAC 35 – Body Image: An Intersection of Black, Non-binary & Asexual Identity

    March 16, 2015
  • 『[4コマ]☆AセクシュアルとAce(エース)☆』
    [A]sexuality,  [Random] Thoughts,  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    『[4コマ]☆AセクシュアルとAce(エース)☆』

    July 27, 2016 / 1 Comment

    once again i randomly came across another one of Chii’s 4-koma comic strips about asexuality on Twitter and my reaction to seeing it has me feeling guilty and torn. ;( for those who don’t speak Japanese, the comic introduces the term “ace” (slang for “asexual”) to Japanese readers and then explains how it’s connected to aces in playing cards. it also introduces readers to the concept / association that’s been floating around English-speaking ace communities of each suite being associated with specific orientations / identities. in the comic, it’s explained as: ace of hearts: romantic asexuals (known as “nonsexuals” in Japan) ace of spades: aromantic asexuals (known as “asexuals” in Japan) ace of diamonds: demisexuals and demiromantic asexuals ace of clubs: gray asexuals and grayromantic asexuals before i start ranting going on and on about ‘nothing’, i want to point out that i’m happy that “ace” is being introduced here in Japanese. no conflicting feelings there.…

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    Vesper H.

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    identity politics leave little room for agency; a thought.

    July 21, 2017

    ?Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2017: Parade & Ace Meetup

    April 29, 2017

    on the discrepancy between “asexual” in English & Japanese and confusion regarding demisexuality.

    May 12, 2017
  • [Random] Thoughts,  Black[ness],  Japan[ese]

    Snapchat rant #457

    July 15, 2016 / No Comments

    …..in which i Snapchat rant about how uncomfortable / exasperating it is as a black person reading books etc with black characters in it to my young Japanese students. Tumblr forced me to upload the video externally because of the file size, so i put it on the QAC YouTube channel unlisted, but i don’t care if anyone shares it elsewhere. also, i swear me posting random, annoying Snapchat rants on here or on YouTube isn’t going to become a thing. i just have to share this last one. ;(

    continue reading
    Vesper H.

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    QAC 05 – Gender Blurb: Neutrois?

    May 29, 2013

    “maverique” v1.0

    June 1, 2014

    ♫ 関取花「べつに」 / Hana Sekitori – “Betsu ni”

    December 18, 2016
  • 『[4コマ]☆ノンセクシュアル☆』
    [A]sexuality,  [Random] Thoughts,  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    『[4コマ]☆ノンセクシュアル☆』

    May 25, 2016 / 1 Comment

    …so this has been going around on Japanese Twitter. about to pass out, but wanted to put a link to this here with a little blurb reasonably-contained-imho rant for my own future reference because this is personally relevant to me.

    continue reading
    Vesper H.

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    romantic orientation pride

    May 29, 2013

    QAC 72 – Outted To Religious Mom: 4 Years Later | HRT | Non-Binary Relationship || #ItGetsBetter?

    September 18, 2018

    QAC 71 – Testosterone, Libido & Asexuality: Has HRT Changed My Sexuality? || The T Files #009

    July 9, 2018
  • [A]sexuality,  [Random] Thoughts,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2016 musings

    May 15, 2016 / No Comments

    a long and rather pointless post in which i write out some of my thoughts and experiences along with photos from last weekend’s Pride in Tokyo. this post is photo heavy. for more photos from TRP, see these posts: ☆ ace & nonbinary photos ☆ general photos warning: slurs, scantly clad men and mention of genitalia. this year i went to TRP on both Saturday and Sunday for the first time. while i’m glad i did, i’m really kicking myself in regards to how i did it. i ended up being ridiculously exhausted both days before i’d even boarded the train to Tokyo all because i called myself saving money by not booking myself and Yuki (my hedgehog) into a hotel so that i could spend the night in Tokyo. the result was 5 hrs/day of riding trains two days in a row. i’m still not recovered and this entire post is…

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    Vesper H.

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    VICELAND – GAYCATION Episode 1: Japan

    March 3, 2016

    IF {subcommunity building} THEN {…?}

    March 11, 2019

    QAC 28 – On “Blackness”, Queer Identity & Intersectionality (a rant)

    July 14, 2014
  • [A]sexuality,  Art[sy Fartsy],  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2016 (5/8/2016)

    May 14, 2016 / No Comments

    …somehow even though this year i went on both Saturday (5/7) & Sunday (5/8), i ended up with fewer (share-worthy) shots than last year because i was so busy doing stuff with people… also had to edit these photos mostly on my phone because i’m still in need of a new laptop. sigh! [/whining] anyway, Tokyo Rainbow Pride itself was better than ever this year, i think. a more asexual (/non-binary!) specific photoset and a (long) write-up about my TRP shenanigans will be posted shortly….

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    Vesper H.

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    QAC 24 – Labels: Why They’re Important + Why I Use Them

    March 17, 2014

    ?Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2017: Parade & Ace Meetup

    April 29, 2017

    them gay enbian feels

    October 16, 2016
  • 【動画 / VIDEO】「私はゲイ」自分の言葉で、自分を語る / “I’m Gay” - Talking About Myself By Myself: Gay men talk about their own identity.
    [A]sexuality,  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    「私はゲイ」自分の言葉で、自分を語る / “I’m Gay” – Talking About Myself By Myself: Gay men talk about their own identity.

    May 6, 2016 / No Comments

    → also see: 「私はレズビアン。」”I’m a Lesbian” mirroring BuzzFeed Yellow’s “I’m ____, But I’m Not” series in English, BuzzFeed Japan has just released two videos in time for Tokyo Rainbow Week debunking various homophobic stereotypes and misconceptions about gay men and lesbians in Japan. for those who can understand Japanese, one thing that’s especially noteworthy about these videos are the differences and similarities between the homophobia mentioned in these videos and homophobia in the US and other western countries. personally, i love what BuzzFeed Japan did with these videos, more so than BuzzFeed Yellow’s. unlike in America, for example, i feel like for Japan, a country severely lacking in any and all LGBTQIA awareness, videos like these hold a lot more weight and mean all the more to the people they help. in America, it’s easier to take videos like BuzzFeed Yellow’s for granted. in Japan, i cannot even begin to convey the…

    continue reading
    Vesper H.

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    them gay enbian feels

    October 16, 2016

    QAC 66 – Split Attraction Model: Opting Out Of Romantic Orientations || Grayromantic | Asexual

    March 12, 2018

    QAC 51 – #ProudToBe Black Non-Binary Bi Pan AND Asexual

    June 22, 2016
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VESPER H.

YouTuber & Blogger

Queer As Cat is the blog and YouTube channel of Vesper, an American expat currently living in Japan.
reoccurring topics include: #asexuality, #nonbinary, #queerness #blackness & #mentalhealth

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Recent Posts

  • literal “social distancing” from the ace community April 1, 2020
  • legalized weed in America: one of many chips on my Black shoulder March 7, 2020
  • willpower, sweat, and tears January 30, 2020
  • 🎬 QAC 79 – The Neverending Queer-y: My Queer Ace Journey || LGBT YouTube & COPPA January 4, 2020
  • #YouTubeIsOverParty: COPPA & The Hypocrisy of YouTube December 15, 2019

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