Japan’s First Step: Shibuya Recognizing Same-Sex Marriage

 

Japan’s First Step: Shibuya Recognizing Same-Sex Marriage 

On April 1st, 2015, Shibuya ward (in Tokyo) became the first to recognize same-sex marriage. The certification of same-sex marriage will benefit couples such as housing and hospital visitations. While this district is a small part of Japan, this was a big move in IGBTQ+ rights in the country. According to Nippon.com, Shibuya mayor Kuwahara Toshitake wanted “the creation of a diverse society, where differences are accepted” (McMahon, p. 8). In the 19th century, homosexuality was normalized among samurais, priests, etc., while Europe thought that it was sinful and a crime due to its strong sense of Christianity. But in the Meiji era, Japan wanted to adopt Western ideas, and homosexuality was later seen as an illness or abnormal thing. Without expressing interest in becoming more Westernized, homophobia would not have existed in Japan, it was all because Japan wanted to superiorize themselves by relating themselves with Europeans. It is also interesting to consider how this is compared to the US. Again, the homophobia in Japan came from Europe. Still, the US was legalizing same-sex marriage nationally while Japan, a country that used to normalize homosexuality before Western influence, has just announced its first legalization of same-sex marriage in a district. The difference in scale and how things move in different countries are interesting. 

Citations:

“Tokyo Ward Shibuya Certifies Same-Sex Partnerships.” BBC News, BBC, 31 Mar. 2015, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32130599. 

“Rainbow in the East: LGBT Rights in Japan.” Nippon.Com, 1 July 2023, www.nippon.com/en/currents/d00174/?cx_recs_click=true. 

“Signs of Growing Acceptance for Japan’s Gay Community.” Nippon.Com, 1 July 2023, www.nippon.com/en/nipponblog/m00074/?cx_recs_click=true.

November 18: Important Date in LGBTQ History

 

November 18 is an important date in LGBTQ History! Early in the week we discussed the landmark case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health in class (see lecture notes). Goodridge is famous for being the first time a state supreme court (in this case the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court) ruled that laws preventing same-sex couples from accessing the rights and responsibilities are unconstitutional. In a 4-3 decision issued on November 18, 2003, the court said that "The Massachusetts Constitution affirms the dignity and equality of all individuals. It forbids the creation of second-class citizens." In a ``baller" move the Court issued a stay on their decision for 180 days, having it go into effect on May 17, 2004, which is easily recognized as the 50th anniversary of the day that Brown v Board of Education was issued by the United States Supreme Court. Brown was a unanimous decision ruling that "separate but unequal" is unconstitutional, thus signaling the end of the period of "Jim Crow" and legally sanctioned explicit racial discrimination in the united States. So even though May 17 2004 gets more attention as the first day that same-sex couples could get legally married in the United States, none of that would have been possible without the events of November 18 2003.

Another significant event happened on  that same day: November 18, 2003 but thousands of miles away in the United Kingdom. This was the day that the repeal of the infamous "Clause 28" went into effect in England and Wales (it had been repealed in Scotland a few years before). Clause 28 (or sometimes Section 28) was an anti-gay measure championed and enacted by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party. in the late 1980s The actual text said that local governments "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" and that they could not "promote the teaching [...] of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship." Section 28 was in effect from 1988 through 2003 through most of the United Kingdom and its effects were cultural as well as legislative. Multiple LGBT groups were founded in the UK to fight the measure, including Stonewall and OutRage! For more info about the history of LGBTQ rights in the U.K., read this.

Tip of the hat to lesbian activist Dana Rudolph, who has been blogging at Mombian since 2005!

October 11 is National Coming Out Day!

National Coming Out Day is October 11th!

This year is the 35th anniversary of the first National Coming Out Day (NCOD), which occurred on October 11 1988, which itself was the first anniversary of the 2nd National March on Washington held in 1987 (Wikipedia). In recent times, NCOD has been a project of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ political advocacy organization in the United States. 

The logo was specifically created for NCOD by openly gay artist Keith Haring.

In more recent years, there have been debates in the LGBTQ community about the utility of the event. For example, last year the Washington Blade published an article that discussed how for different segments of the LGBTQ community (especially those who had other marginalized identities) coming out can have complications.

Here are some discussion questions for the comments:

1. What do you think about this idea (that coming out may be more difficult for different segments of the LGBTQ community) included in the Washington Blade article? 
2. What are your thoughts about the phrase "inviting in" versus "coming out"?
3. Do you think NCOD still serves a useful purpose?
4. When was the first time you heard about NCOD?