Japanese LGBTQ Kids Learning About Gay Life From Comics

Japanese comics or manga feature a wide array of topics — including some that aren’t taught about in schools. In Japan, queer youth are turning to manga to fill in the blanks about sexual orientation and identity. But is that a good thing? That and more in our look at LGBTQ issues in education from around the world.

• In the UK the Union of University and College staff (UCU) declared that no white, able-bodied men will be allowed to participate in an equality conference. Members will have to declare if they are gay, disabled, female or from an ethnic minority when applying to attend.

• In Charlotte, North Carolina—the US city that began the nation’s trans bathroom debate—a public school system announced a new policy that allows students to use the bathrooms and lockers rooms appropriate to their gender identity. The NC governor condemned the school system in a statement for ‘purposefully breaking state law’ and going against House Bill 2. 

• From Japan, researcher Kyle Knight explored how LGBT youth are filling the gap in school curriculums with comic books—the only place to learn about sexual orientation and gender identity.

• And Australian families spoke out about the ongoing struggles trans kids face, especially at school.
• The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child released its periodic review of the UK and called for comprehensive sex and relationships education. And 32 countries have joined the Call for Action issued by UNESCO and Ministers of Education to end discrimination, violence and bullying and to provide inclusive and equitable education for all students regardless of gender or sexual diversity.

Unicorn Booty brings attentions to global issues of significance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. Our partnership with Equal Eyes, a news source produced in collaboration with UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, is part of that effort. To learn more, visit their site at Equal-Eyes.org. 

This coverage promotes sexual and gender equality while highlighting issues of health, violence, culture, and legal and human rights. Equal Eyes provides advocates and allies a common frame of reference for the realities of global LGBTI communities. Through followup reporting and disseminating this coverage, our effort is to ensure we have a representation of the global stories that matter most or may have under-reporting.

(Featured image via Sen Cross/Wikimedia Commons)