TOKYO — Many welcomed Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike’s recent announcement that a same-sex partnership system would be introduced for all of Tokyo in fiscal 2022. But some LGBTQ activists have pointed out that much more work needs to be done to reach true equality in Japan. Currently, 12 of the 62 municipalities in Tokyo have […]
Tokyo same-sex partnership plans highlight road ahead for LGBTQ rights
January 20, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Japan court says same-sex marriage should be allowed
March 18, 2021 by Leave a Comment
TOKYO — A Japanese court for the first time ruled March 17 that same-sex marriage should be allowed under the country’s constitution, a moral victory that does not have any immediate legal consequence but could bolster efforts for legalization. The Sapporo District Court said sexuality, like race and gender, is not a matter of individual […]
The Great Unknown and the Unknown Great: The origins of the JACL’s advocacy for gay and lesbian rights
June 18, 2020 by Leave a Comment
This year marks the 14th year that I have commemorated LGBT History Month with a reflection on the important but oft-unremarked presence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in the history of Japanese Americans. It is with great pleasure that I devote this year’s queer history column to looking back at the latter […]
THE GREAT UNKNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN GREAT: The JACL’s historic support for marriage equality
June 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Ever since I have been writing my Nichi Bei column “The Great Unknown and the Unknown Great†in 2007, I have devoted an annual column to studying the history of Japanese American sexuality, and in particular in-group attitudes toward homosexuality and the presence of gays and lesbians. I am proud to continue that tradition with […]
Panel discusses issues beyond marriage equality for LGBTQ people
March 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Editor’s Note: Tomo Hirai is a member of Tadaima: A Japanese American Gathering of LGBTQQ and Allies’ (volunteer) organizing committee. A panel presentation on the current issues lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning community members face was held Feb. 23 at the Buddhist Church of San Francisco in San Francisco’s Japantown. The program, hosted […]
‘Living in the Shadows of Exclusion’: LGBT Asian America
August 20, 2015 by Leave a Comment
History may forget Asian Americans who are part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer spectrum, according to one historian involved in the LGBT movement. “History isn’t kind to those who are marginalized to multiple spaces. Your history doesn’t exist in the LGBT history, it doesn’t exist in the Asian American history,†said Anna […]
California same-sex couples anxiously await Supreme Court decision
December 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment
When Tran Le and Terrenz Vong marched in the Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade, their photo appeared on the second page of the Sing Tao Daily. The couple said their appearance in Los Angeles’ largest Chinese-language newspaper sent a clear message to their families and their communities. “One of the biggest misconceptions (in Asian Pacific […]
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