Fun Fast Facts:
Updated: 4 Aug 2015 (If only we could just talk about it)
- There are no explicit religious prohibitions against homosexuality in the traditional religion of Japan – Shintoism, or in the imported religions of Buddhism or Confucianism.
- LGBTIQ rights are rarely discussed or debated publicly and most political parties do not make any formal position (for or against) their party’s platform.
Updated: 27 May 2013 (Where porn, anime and gay media meet)
- Sodomy was first criminalised in Japan in 1872 – to comply with the newly introduced beliefs of Western Culture.
- The law was repealed 7 years later and since then, Japan has had no laws against homosexuality.
- As of 2000, sexual orientation is not protected by national civil rights laws, which means that LGBT Japanese have no legal recourse when they face such discrimination in such areas as employment, education, housing, health care and banking.
- In April of 2013, Japan held its first Rainbow Week including a parade in Tokyo with an estimated 12,000 participants.
- Since autumn 2003, the Urban Renaissance Agency, the government agency that operates the government housing, began to allow same-sex couples to rent units the same way as heterosexual couples.
Broadcast: 4 Aug 2015
If only we could just talk about it
LGBTIQ-friendly organisation: Kaleidoscope Australia Human Rights Foundation
Kaleidoscope Australia is a not-for-profit organisation committed to promoting and protecting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in the Asia Pacific region. They work directly with local activists to enhance their capacity to combat prejudice, hostile authorities and discriminatory laws, helping them achieve the freedom and equality essential to living a life of dignity. They assist lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities in the Asia Pacific region by;
- writing independent ‘shadow’ reports for the UN Human Rights Committee’s review of states’ compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Human Rights Council’s regular Universal Periodic Review of the human rights record of member nations.
- raising awareness of violations of their human rights through the press, social media and at conferences and events.
- connecting them with networks, resources and services in Australia and elsewhere.
- facilitating tailored training and educational materials to assist them in their important work.
W3JOY interviewed: Dr Paula Gerber of Kaleidoscope Australia Human Rights Foundation
Listen to the podcast to discover:
- What actions or response has there been from Japan to Kaleidoscope’s Shadow Report to the United Nations calling for wide-ranging improvements in laws protecting LGBT people?
- Is there stigma around sexual orientation?
- How to generate visibility in a society where sexuality is rarely spoken about publicly.
- How do LGBTIQ people get this on the political agenda of their parties?
- Why are transgender people more visible than the rest of the rainbow?
Listen to the podcast
Broadcast: 27 May 2013
Where porn, anime and gay media meet
LGBTIQ-friendly organisation: OCCUR
- Established in March 1986 to combat prejudice against gay men.
- Services include AIDS testing, telephone counselling and youth programs.
- OCCUR took the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to court regarding discrimination in youth hostels.
W3JOY interviewed: Thomas Baudinette, Doctoral student at Monash University studying gay media in Japan
Thomas’ thesis topic was “Investigating the discursive instruction of desire – Japanese gay men and the media”
I’m looking at what kinds of images of gay men are disseminated throughout the media – whether they have tight bodies, masculine highly muscular bodies or whether they are slim.
It’s normal in Japan for gay men to be perceived as transgendered. The butt of the joke, basically… My research shows that there are changes in these trends.
It [the LGBTIQ movement] has become a lot more inclusive in the last few years, and the Tokyo Rainbow Week is an example of this inclusiveness.
Men have to get married – a man who is unmarried in the workplace probably won’t get a promotion. So what’s a gay man to do?
Shinjuku NiChome [Tokyo’s gay district] has both a very physical presence in the world, but it also exists virtually. It exists within all Japanese gay media. It can be viewed as a metaphor for the gay landscape of Japan.
To many in Japan, sexuality is viewed as a private issue. Discussion of these things in public is taboo. Many gay men and lesbian women feel that it is inappropriate for them to talk about these issues in public, not because they fear any reprisals or some kind of homophobic attack, but because they seriously feel it is important to do so.