The world is
becoming more open, people and cultures are interacting and transforming at an
amazing pace due to globalization. While it has become much easier to transfer
money abroad and to move around globally, still Japanese culture largely
rejects any sort of diversity.
Although Japan's
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) youth do not have to deal with name-calling
and physical violence for the most part, the do face ijime, (Japanese for
bullying).
Targets of ijime
usually deal with silent treatments, badmouthing and alienation because they
are considered to be deviants or too different from the established norm.
Due to the
communal nature of Japanese culture, most LGBT people in Japan end up leading
double lives in which they marry members of the opposite sex to form so-called
"normal" relationships while concealing their sexual orientation to
avoid discrimination.
A lot of LGBT
people tend to be isolated, and often do not meet like-minded individuals until
well into their twenties. In most cases, they cannot be open about their sexual
orientations in the work place as they risk being fired.
At the same time,
there are no Japanese laws against homosexuality.
While Japan does
not recognize same-sex partnerships, it does provide some protection for gay
and transgender people. Transgender people are legally allowed to change
their sex, and transgender people in prison can take separate baths.
Still, despite the
negative stereotypes and lack of political acceptance, Japan has a blossoming
gay scene that is thriving at the edges of mainstream Japanese society.
The Japanese LGBT
scene is very visible in cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo, with the
largest gay district in country situated in the Shinjuku Ni-chome district in
Tokyo having the highest concentration of gay and lesbian bars in Japan.
No comments:
Post a Comment