02. From Japan: September 2008 Archives

Sou
Nijiiro hempeisoku - Aomori Sexual Minorities Association

【The article below is the same as the article that appears in the tenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.】

The issue of cell phone filtering for minors in Japan is being addressed by the government, corporations, third party organizations and even in the Diet. I am greatly concerned that websites and personal blogs for the interaction of sexual minorities and the provision of accurate information for them are at risk of being targeted as “harmful” by uniform filtering. This could not only aggravate the current prejudice, but also deprive sexual minorities of their support systems.

Kozue AKIBAYASHI
International Vice President, WILPF
(Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom)

【The article below is the same as the article that appears in the tenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.】

The Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War was held at Makuhari Messe and in other locations in Japan from May 4 to 6, 2008, to disseminate the principles and values of Article 9 of the Japanese constitution around the globe.
The conference started with speeches by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Corrigan-Maguire (Northern Ireland) and others, as well as live music and cultural performances.
“Women’s Power of Building Peace - Weaving Together Women’s Initiatives Worldwide” was one of the symposiums and workshops held on the second day. A total of six panelists from different countries participated in the discussion on women’s roles in peacemaking. As the facilitator of the workshop, I would like to report on some of the successful examples and suggestions for future activities that they shared with us.

IWATA, Mayu
Undergraduate student, ICU

【The article below is the same as the article that appears in the tenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.】

Gay and lesbian issues were featured in an NHK documentary series called HEART TV, on April 28 and 29, 2008. My overall impression was that they oversimplified sexual minority issues and did not challenge the binary opposition of heterosexuality and homosexuality at all. I am “quasi-bisexual” so I felt completely left out. While I understand that the program restricted its coverage to gays and lesbians as it was targeted to an audience with no background knowledge of sexual minority issues, I believe that it further obscured the differences among sexual minorities as well as the hidden potential of sexuality in general. My concern is that this could lead to a notional separation of one imagined body of “sexual minorities” from the “general public, ” resulting in the superficial, indifferent kind of understanding and acceptance that focuses on political correctness.

Izumi NIKI
CGS staff member

【The article below is the same as the article that appears in the tenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.】

Suppose that your daughter, son, mother, father, or anyone in your family all of a sudden came out to you saying they were lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. How would you respond to it? Shock, confusion, denial, distress... We still live in a society in which LGBTs are often misunderstood. Families are usually astounded and confused by the news of their loved one’s deviant sexuality, and sometimes refuse to accept it. The Association for Families and Friends of LGBTs has been working to create a community-based space for families and friends of LGBT people. I interviewed Kansai member Ms. Naomi Shimizu and Kanto members Ms. Ryoko and Mr. Takeshi Kobayashi about their experience as parents of LGBT children and their involvement in the organization.