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Queer As Cat

gender・ sexuality・ race ・intersectionality

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

    めんどくささレベル5強

    December 11, 2016 / 1 Comment

    one of my least favorite things to do is attempt to explain in Japanese to a (usually LGB) cisgender Japanese person that: 1. no, セクシャリティー / “”sexuality”“ is not the same thing as gender. they usually get it once i explain it, but it’s still ugh because that inevitably spills over into: 2. no, オネエ / “onee” and / or ニューハーフ / “newhalf” is not synonymous with “transgender” and then when i use the word トランスジェンダー / lit. “transgender” from English– because i refuse to use any of the other Japanese words available– the person i’m talking to automatically thinks of ニューハーフ / “newhalf” (if i’m lucky) even when i’m not talking specifically about women who happen to be trans. i hate how bothトランスジェンダー / transgender and 性同一性障害者 / people with gender identity disorder– the most common way to refer to trans people in general– seemingly always make people think…

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    Vesper H.

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  • [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.

    October 7, 2016 / No Comments

    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………..

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    Vesper H.

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    Feedback: “I just wanted to thank you for your post on the alterous vs platonic thing…”

    February 23, 2016

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    December 26, 2018

    an example of intersectional acephobia if ever there was one…

    December 16, 2015
  • Q&A

    Q&A: “Any recommendations for meeting other trans/non-binary either Japanese or gaijin in Japan?”

    September 20, 2016 / No Comments

    nerdyglitterpatrol said: Hey Vesper. I’m a non-binary transman (fledgling danso) living in Japan. I came here very recently, at the end of July, so it’s been about 2 months now. I’ve been curious about finding other non-binary or trans individuals that I could be friends with to generally explore the lgbt and non-binary parts of Japanese life, culture, and society. Any recommendations for meeting or making friends with other trans/non-binary either Japanese or gaijin in Japan? Second part of my question. I’ve considered using mixi, but I have no idea how it works and while I’m decent at conversational Japanese, reading it is another story. I’m also hesitant to come out as non-binary trans to Japanese people because the concepts seem to be underdeveloped in Japan, Japanese people don’t seem to know what to do with non-binary/trans individuals. And it’s hard for me to come out to my cis friends…

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    Vesper H.

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    Feedback: “I just wanted to thank you for your post on the alterous vs platonic thing…”

    February 23, 2016

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    April 5, 2018
  • [A]sexuality,  [Random] Thoughts,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    “lesbian night”

    September 19, 2016 / No Comments

    since some people said they’d be interested in hearing about my experience at a “lesbian night” event at a local gay bar this past weekend…. here’s a tl;dr word vomit post about the night that can pretty much be summarized as: i had a good time, but awkwardness was awkward and culture shock was shocking, as always in Japanese LGBT spaces.

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    Vesper H.

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    July 23, 2017

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    February 24, 2014

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    May 15, 2016
  • "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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  • 『[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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    December 20, 2015

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    April 21, 2016

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    January 12, 2018
  • [A]sexuality,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    navigating trans misogyny in the Japanese lesbian community…

    July 4, 2016 / No Comments

    translation: Accepting participants for the Ibaraki Lesbian Outdoor Meetup ★ [ …… ] Women loving women, FtMs, non-binary people & those questioning, let’s relax and chat together! However, this time only those who are registered as single and female on their family register are allowed, sorry. (Trying to gradually be a little more lax, but… ?) ….and THIS is why i almost always end up having to go all the way to Tokyo to participate in stuff, because the most (seemingly) active part of the LGBT community here (the lesbian community) is so goddamn transphobic. for the last two meetups, the OP was like “no trans women, sorry!” and that was the end of it. this time it doesn’t even mention trans women at all, only providing enough wiggle room for trans men and non-binary people provided they have “F” on their family register… am i or people like me supposed to…

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    Vesper H.

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    QAC 54 – Confusing Gender Envy & Admiration with Attraction || Non-Binary | Asexual

    October 10, 2016

    gender non-conformity sure does make for good entertainment for cis people, huh Japan?

    April 25, 2016

    Black Mirror: “San Junipero”

    July 6, 2017
  • [Random] Thoughts,  Gender[queer],  Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    transphobia & non-binary erasure in Japanese media

    March 17, 2016 / No Comments

    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.

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    Vesper H.

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    March 7, 2013

    a 1.5 hour conversation with a random Nigirian

    October 12, 2017

    sigh.

    July 23, 2017
  • Japan[ese],  Queer[ness]

    withU: a new Japanese LGBTQIA+ social networking site

    August 1, 2015 / No Comments

    withUは「全国のLGBTが一つになれる場所」というコンセプトで運営されています。普段の生活では会うことのできなかった人達と出会い、あなたのコミュニティの輪を広げましょう。サイト内の機能はすべて無料で使うことができます。 withUの中ではあなたがLGBTであることを隠す必要はありません。サイトを通じて本当の自分を理解し合える仲間を見つけてください。 withUの参加者はみんながあなたの理解者です。 just want to signal boost a new Japanese LGBTQIA+ social networking site called “withU” for those of you who speak Japanese and/or live in Japan. so far, the site seems very interesting and promising, having gained over 1,000 members since it became public last month. it’s like what would happen if mixi.jp and OKCupid teamed up and made a Japanese site? lol so far, the site seems to be inclusive of not just the L and the G, but also bisexual, pansexual, asexual, transgender and non-binary (Xジェンダー) people. you’re able to select all of these identifiers in your profile and when searching for people. there are even two asexual groups already! 😀 that said, the site does have some kinks to work out… the site seems to load slowly. also, in your profile you are required to make a selection from a dropdown menu titled 「セクシュアリティ」 (’sexuality’) which…

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    Vesper H.

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

    pre-セクマイの交流会 jitters

    June 13, 2015 / No Comments

    going to another LGBTQIA+ 交流会 / meeting tomorrow and i’m really excited (+ nervous)! unlike all of the past meetings/events that i’ve been to here in Japan, this one explicitly welcomes: bisexuals pansexuals asexuals gray asexuals polyamorous people transgender people genderfluid people genderless / agender people bigender people maveriques people who are questioning as in the website for the meeting describes each and every one of these identities individually rather than using some umbrella term, acronym with symbols, “セクマイ” (commonly used in Japan in place of  “LGBT”) or some footnote to mention these people. AND unlike so many LGBTQIA+ events which are held at night / in a club / over alcohol, this event will be like a big tea party and 100% open to minors. AND it’s being held in my little “inaka” (countryside) prefecture, not in fuckin’ Tokyo. HOW FUCKIN’ AWESOME IS THAT??? major props to you, True Colors Project.…

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    Vesper H.

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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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