Japan
From its historically lax attitude toward gays in the military to its celebration of transgender and openly gay pop culture figures like Ataru Nakamura and Akihiro Miwa, Japan’s general attitude toward the LGBTQ community has been relatively accepting compared to some of its more puritanical and authoritarian friends.
Still, while reports of outright discrimination are somewhat rare, Japan still has no national law protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination, and same-sex couples are still ineligible for the many of the legal protections available to opposite-sex couples in Japan.
Not to mention, the Human Rights Watch organization recently reported an alarming ‘epidemic’ of LGBTQ bullying in Japanese schools. However, given the fact that the majority of Japanese citizens are supportive of LGBTQ rights, and the fact that many municipalities, including Tokyo, have begun putting legal protections in place, and have begun to implement training programs geared toward spreading awareness and tolerance, we can only hope that they continue heading in the right direction.
Here are our top stories on Japan:
While there are a number of queer characters in anime, they’re not always treated well — but these 5 gay anime series show the world how it’s done
When the reigning Mr. Gay Japan took to the stage at this year’s finals in Tokyo, no one was expecting what followed
While there are a number of outstanding queer anime and manga now, it wasn’t always so — and we have internet anime fans to thank for that
A fertility festival called Kanamara Matsuri makes its way to Japan’s Kawasaki prefecture outside Tokyo every spring
Every month we look at international news briefs, courtesy of Equal Eyes, a news source produced in collaboration with United Nations
Japanese internment is a dark stain on U.S. history, and this scientist argues the DACA showdown is the same thing all over again
The stars of the hit Netflix series are heading to Japan for a four-episode miniseries of makeovers
A decision today has upheld a law requiring forced sterilization before trans people can legally change their gender
The museum features 80 dishes from around the world that are considered downright revolting outside the cultures that originated them
A Madonna NYE gig at Stonewall has everyone talking, as does news of “proud homophobe” Bolsonaro taking office in Brazil
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