What japanese think about homosexual people?

derick78b · 18 Oct 2011

hello,
I'm not judging anyone.

It's a curiosity.
I've never seen a japanese gay or something like that. On the other hand, I don't think there's none.

But my question is:
What japanese think about gay? I mean, in Japan is it rude to be gay? I'm talking about in a sociological way. Are they discriminated? Is part of japanese culture to talk about gays or is it a taboo?

Thank you all.

P.S. I'm not being rude, as I said it's like a curiosity.

Glenski · 18 Oct 2011

Uh, how do you know if you have seen a Japanese gay person? Do they have a special appearance? Would you know a non-Japanese gay person just on sight?

Gays exist in Japan. The community is growing in openness. Depending on how you assess things, the view may be different. Gay "talento" on TV are novelties.

derick78b · 20 Oct 2011

Glenski said:
Uh, how do you know if you have seen a Japanese gay person? Do they have a special appearance? Would you know a non-Japanese gay person just on sight?

Gays exist in Japan. The community is growing in openness. Depending on how you assess things, the view may be different. Gay "talento" on TV are novelties.

I think you didn't understand me.

I'll give you an example:
Here, in Brazil, gay comunity is not good seen. "Normal" people say it's against God, it's fashion, they're faking and a lot of hate comes around here. Being gay in Brazil is like being "worse" than heterosexual people, understand?
To simples things up: Brazil doesn't like gays.

To me, it's not my life, I don't have anything to do with gay people. I mean, let them be gay and live your life, they're not killing anyone, they're stealing, so, why all this hate? That's what I think.

I thought, as a totally polite and respectful culture, they probably don't care, just live their lives.

Is that so?

Thank you very much.

Coffeesan · 20 Oct 2011

I dont think I've ever seen a gay Asian in general... Other than Gok Wan ofcourse lol but again hes half-British. It may be looked down upon a lot but a lot of Japan are Buddhist if they claim to be of any religion at all arent they? In my experience most of the so called ''gay-hate'' its spread through religion. Buddhism is non-theistic so its by that fact going to stand to reason to be more open to homosexuals.

Mike Cash · 20 Oct 2011

I think your understanding of Japanese Buddhism could use a little work.

Coffeesan · 20 Oct 2011

Mike Cash said:
I think your understanding of Japanese Buddhism could use a little work.

Mabye..

But the main reason homosexuality is so hated among mono-theistic faiths such as Islam and Christianity is ''God doesnt like them'' and it says so in each of their fictious scriptures. Buddhism on the other hand no god and no scriptures in the same vain as the Koran or Bible, they do have some but they are very different. Non-theism has a greater potential for acceptance and respect for things such as race and sexual orientation, just ironically not class which doesnt make sense logically.

I would say religion is one of the main obstacles for homosexuality in most parts of the world but culture and tradition is also a massive factor too obviously.

Mike Cash · 20 Oct 2011

Why do you presume Japanese Buddhism to be non-theistic? It certainly isn't monotheistic, but neither is it non-theistic. And it does have scriptures.

Coffeesan · 20 Oct 2011

Well they are technically closer to pantheism but on the whole very similar. My point was no God, religions without gods are far more mallable in terms of accepting new beliefs.

derick78b · 21 Oct 2011

Of course religion has a whole part of the problem.
Culture helps too.

I only asked because I think japanese people - not asian in general - are like: "Live your life", they don't mind any other's business, understand? I really think this is great. But, as I haven't seen any japanese gay - male or female - I thought they couldn't "come out of the closet" because of religion or culture or any other problem.

But, as you all are saying, this doesn't happen, which is great.

As I already said: it was my curiosity.

thank you all.

Mike Cash · 21 Oct 2011

Coffeesan said:
Well they are technically closer to pantheism but on the whole very similar. My point was no God, religions without gods are far more mallable in terms of accepting new beliefs.

What are some examples of religions without gods?

How is multiple gods similar to no gods?

Nuala · 21 Oct 2011

Coffeesan said:
I dont think I've ever seen a gay Asian in general... Other than Gok Wan ofcourse lol but again hes half-British. It may be looked down upon a lot but a lot of Japan are Buddhist if they claim to be of any religion at all arent they? In my experience most of the so called ''gay-hate'' its spread through religion. Buddhism is non-theistic so its by that fact going to stand to reason to be more open to homosexuals.

Coffeesan: I hate your guts. While I am not myself homosexual, I can relate to my buddies that are, and I am reading nothing but crap in this post? "I don't think I've ever seen A gay in Japan", as if they were not simply gay people or homosexual people. They're PEOPLE. Do you understand that? They're not a hidden race of people similar to humans, but different by the fact that they have unicorn horns or some nonsense like that. They are 100% like you and I. No different in any regards. Make a big deal out of sexual orientation if you must, but it's all so absurd to me.

derick78b said:
I don't have anything to do with gay people.

Well, it's nice that you are acknowledging they are human too. But let's use an example to see how your desire to have nothing to do with them will lead you into grief, ok? Let's say your older brother, your senior by 5 years, has decided to tell you and your family that he thinks he is homosexual. The guy is torn up about it, ok? Your religious family has had some very strict opinions on homosexuality in relation to how you react to homosexual people you meet, and etc.

How would you react to your older brother coming out to you?

Would you attack him for shaming your family with his behavior, lynch him, and parade him through your neighborhood?

Would you brainwash him into thinking he wasn't homosexual?

Would you reject him and disown him, thus basically opening the door for any other response he may take to being rejected by his own flesh and blood? Such as, killing himself? I'm not trying to scare you into treating homosexual people with respect and dignity as you would anyone else, but I have to wonder how come you're so homophobic when you've clearly been munching on God's worm like hungry little birds!

Half-n-Half · 21 Oct 2011

Thor said:
Well, it's nice that you are acknowledging they are human too.[...]

Did you read the rest of his post? I'd imagine it's just a language problem and an inappropriate use of an expression seeing as how he is from Brazil so English probably isn't his first language. This is more evident from the rest of his post, which you could have determined if you read it, especially the sentence right after the one you quoted.

Mike Cash · 21 Oct 2011

Roseanne Roseannadanna strikes again.

derick78b · 22 Oct 2011

Thor said:
Coffeesan: I hate your guts. While I am not myself homosexual, I can relate to my buddies that are, and I am reading nothing but crap in this post? "I don't think I've ever seen A gay in Japan", as if they were not simply gay people or homosexual people. They're PEOPLE. Do you understand that? They're not a hidden race of people similar to humans, but different by the fact that they have unicorn horns or some nonsense like that. They are 100% like you and I. No different in any regards. Make a big deal out of sexual orientation if you must, but it's all so absurd to me.

Well, it's nice that you are acknowledging they are human too. But let's use an example to see how your desire to have nothing to do with them will lead you into grief, ok? Let's say your older brother, your senior by 5 years, has decided to tell you and your family that he thinks he is homosexual. The guy is torn up about it, ok? Your religious family has had some very strict opinions on homosexuality in relation to how you react to homosexual people you meet, and etc.

How would you react to your older brother coming out to you?

Would you attack him for shaming your family with his behavior, lynch him, and parade him through your neighborhood?

Would you brainwash him into thinking he wasn't homosexual?

Would you reject him and disown him, thus basically opening the door for any other response he may take to being rejected by his own flesh and blood? Such as, killing himself? I'm not trying to scare you into treating homosexual people with respect and dignity as you would anyone else, but I have to wonder how come you're so homophobic when you've clearly been munching on God's worm like hungry little birds!

In any moment of my comment I tried to offend anyone. If you thought I did, please go see a psychologist because you have some disturbs. As I already said A THOUSAND of times, it was my curiosity, nothing else.

I really would like to know about homosexualism in Japan. I wanted to know if they're respected or not, and what the Japanese society thinks about it.

I'm sorry if I offended anyone, it wasn't my intention.

Thank you,

bye

Glenski · 22 Oct 2011

derick78b said:
I really would like to know about homosexualism in Japan. I wanted to know if they're respected or not, and what the Japanese society thinks about it.

Start here:
Homosexuality in Japan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brief History of Gay Culture and Rights in Japan: So Far Japanese Gay Communiity has kept a Low Key Legal Approach | Suite101.com
GayJapanNews | Marketing, Consulting, History, News, Guide
Travel Expert: "How do I navigate Japan's gay scene?" | NewNowNext
Gay Japan and Japanese Gay and Lesbian Resources by Utopia Asia 大同
Gay Asia News by Utopia: Hundreds of Lesbians March to Celebrate Japan's First Dyke Day.

Coffeesan said:
I dont think I've ever seen a gay Asian in general

As I asked derick (and got no answer), just how would you know if you saw a gay person? Do they have some sort of distinguishing features that project the fact that they are gay?

You might be surprised to learn who you know is secretly gay!

derick78b · 23 Oct 2011

Glenski said:
Start here:
Homosexuality in Japan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brief History of Gay Culture and Rights in Japan: So Far Japanese Gay Communiity has kept a Low Key Legal Approach | Suite101.com
GayJapanNews | Marketing, Consulting, History, News, Guide
Travel Expert: ﾂ"How do I navigate Japan's gay scene?ﾂ" | NewNowNext
Gay Japan and Japanese Gay and Lesbian Resources by Utopia Asia 窶佚･窶慊ｯ
 Gay Asia News by Utopia: Hundreds of Lesbians March to Celebrate Japan's First Dyke Day.

As I asked derick (and got no answer), just how would you know if you saw a gay person? Do they have some sort of distinguishing features that project the fact that they are gay?

You might be surprised to learn who you know is secretly gay!

First of all, I meant PUBLIC GAY PERSON! Not general person. People who are exposed in TV, that's what I meant.
That answers ALL of your questions,

thank you.

Coffeesan · 24 Oct 2011

derick78b said:
First of all, I meant PUBLIC GAY PERSON! Not general person. People who are exposed in TV, that's what I meant.
That answers ALL of your questions,
thank you.

Lol Derick ignore Thor he seems to be trying to stir trouble where none exists. I mean he ''quoted'' one of my sentences and had a go at it but if you actually look at it the quote sentence is quite different to the one I gave. Clearly and blatently misquoting people from text that is clearly visible is never wise when you're trying to occupy the 'moral high ground'.

I'll rephrase my misquoted statement I've not KNOWINGLY seen/observed a gay Asian person and I dont KNOW any gay Asian people. Another point about this ''acknowledging them as people'' which myself and Derick have both been accused of. I dont think either of us did say anything to the contrary. Many of my best friends are gay, my landlord is gay, my neurology professor is gay. I like most people dont give the slightest toss if they are or not, there are very few people who do these days.

Lol defendant stepping down....

Nuala · 25 Oct 2011

Coffeesan said:
Lol Derick ignore Thor he seems to be trying to stir trouble where none exists. I mean he ''quoted'' one of my sentences and had a go at it but if you actually look at it the quote sentence is quite different to the one I gave. Clearly and blatently misquoting people from text that is clearly visible is never wise when you're trying to occupy the 'moral high ground'.

I'll rephrase my misquoted statement I've not KNOWINGLY seen/observed a gay Asian person and I dont KNOW any gay Asian people. Another point about this ''acknowledging them as people'' which myself and Derick have both been accused of. I dont think either of us did say anything to the contrary. Many of my best friends are gay, my landlord is gay, my neurology professor is gay. I like most people dont give the slightest toss if they are or not, there are very few people who do these days.

Lol defendant stepping down....

I quoted your entire post, so if quoting your entire post is akin to misquoting, what am I to do? Also, the terminology used in referring to homosexual people really pisses me off. Some refer to homosexual people as, "gays", others refer to them as "homosexuals". It's akin to denying their humanity, especially online, where the majority of the discussion is done via text. It's a pet peeve! I can't help it. It makes me angry. On a side note, it doesn't even make sense. "You're a hetereosexual!". OK? It's no longer describing someone's sexuality, it's who they are when you put it that way. Can you see the difference between, "Oh, they're homosexual" and "Oh, they're a homosexual".

Half-n-Half said:
Did you read the rest of his post? I'd imagine it's just a language problem and an inappropriate use of an expression seeing as how he is from Brazil so English probably isn't his first language. This is more evident from the rest of his post, which you could have determined if you read it, especially the sentence right after the one you quoted.

"I don't have anything to do with gay people" is bad enough. It's nice that he says they're not horrible moral abominations, but what's up with, "I don't have anything to do with gay people"? Feel free to pick apart my posts, sentence by sentence, if you feel it prudent to do so. God knows I hold everyone accountable for every little thing they may say, so why not? Feel free.

Coffeesan · 25 Oct 2011

Well you're an American arent you Thor? Mabye homosexual or gay are naughty words where you live. Here in the UK homosexual and gay are perfectly fine ways of saying the state of affairs. If you're refering to a non-homosexual here you just say hetrosexual or strait and no orientation finds these terms offensive. Something like ''fag'' that would be offensive as its derogatory, homosexual is fine. The thing you need to remember is most terms start off as either rude or polite and change over time. It used to be polite to say ''homosexual couple'' for example but now the PC term is ''same sex couple''. Girls used to prefer ''lesbian'' but now all seem to simply prefer ''gay''. I've not met every single American or every single English person but in my opinion most people generally dont care in the slightest which orientation you are and/or claim to be.

Half-n-Half · 25 Oct 2011

Thor said:
"I don't have anything to do with gay people" is bad enough. It's nice that he says they're not horrible moral abominations, but what's up with, "I don't have anything to do with gay people"?

And as I said, it was probably a language quirk. I don't know 100% for sure without him saying it himself, but he probably meant something like, "I don't have anything against gay people." Again, this isn't necessarily what he meant but we can be confident by the rest of his post:

derick78b said:
To me, it's not my life, I don't have anything to do with gay people. I mean, let them be gay and live your life, they're not killing anyone, they're stealing, so, why all this hate? That's what I think.

And in a later post:

derick78b said:
I'm sorry if I offended anyone, it wasn't my intention.

So to me at least he wasn't trying to be insulting towards gay people or say he doesn't want to be around them.

Thor said:
Feel free to pick apart my posts, sentence by sentence, if you feel it prudent to do so. God knows I hold everyone accountable for every little thing they may say, so why not? Feel free.

Thor, you hold everyone accountable for what you think they say. The problem I have with this post is that it is a recurring theme. This isn't an isolated instance; it's a behavior you have exhibited multiple times. You read a post, find any possible sentence that could even remotely get you riled up, misquote it or take it way out of context and then you fly off the handle and get emotional. Before you reply to a post that gets you worked up, take a break, sleep on it, and for God's sake, read it several times over carefully. Don't post the second your blood gets pumping.

Davey · 25 Oct 2011

As some of you might already know, my mother is actually homosexual and married to another woman. When they came to Japan for the first time I was very worried that my parents in law would behave differently and that they would say something but they didn't. At the first night my father in law was actually singing Elvis songs out loud together with my mom's wife. It was a different story when we went to my grandmother in law, and to be honest we just told her that she was my mom's friend.

I have no idea about how other Japanese feel regarding this matter, because it isn't really a topic you just talk about.

Some links other links on top of Glenski his links:
Gays in Japan Stay In The Closet - Blogcritics Culture
Intersections: Male Homosexuality and Popular Culture in Modern Japan
Gay love in Japan - World History of Male Love

Coffeesan · 26 Oct 2011

Davey said:
As some of you might already know, my mother is actually homosexual and married to another woman. When they came to Japan for the first time I was very worried that my parents in law would behave differently and that they would say something but they didn't. At the first night my father in law was actually singing Elvis songs out loud together with my mom's wife. It was a different story when we went to my grandmother in law, and to be honest we just told her that she was my mom's friend.

I have no idea about how other Japanese feel regarding this matter, because it isn't really a topic you just talk about.

Some links other links on top of Glenski his links:
Gays in Japan Stay In The Closet - Blogcritics Culture
Intersections: Male Homosexuality and Popular Culture in Modern Japan
Gay love in Japan - World History of Male Love

I dont think the Japanese are ''desensitised'' to seeing gay/homosexual/same sex interactions in public kinda thing. I'll probally get jumped on again... ''Desensitised?! Their people not snakes coffee! oh my gosh blah blah'' but I trust those with common sense know what I'm getting at.... In my country the UK being gay was ''weird'' at a time and seeing gay people openly kissing in public for example would make many people extremely uncomfortable because it was unusual and new. But as time went by more people came out and admitted to being gay and slowly people became more used to the idea until we arrived at the point where no one regards them as any different. The same process will happen in Japan, I think they are just perhaps a little further behind than other countries on the issue. But that, if true, wouldnt be overly shocking as all countries and cultures are going to be further ahead or behind than others regarding some things.

P.s. I'm refering to gay people as... THEY but in my opinion if we were having a discussion about strait people, or black people or gingers or bloody dolphins we would all still refer to them as ''they'', so all is good..

Nuala · 26 Oct 2011

Coffeesan said:
Well you're an American arent you Thor? Mabye homosexual or gay are naughty words where you live. Here in the UK homosexual and gay are perfectly fine ways of saying the state of affairs. If you're refering to a non-homosexual here you just say hetrosexual or strait and no orientation finds these terms offensive. Something like ''fag'' that would be offensive as its derogatory, homosexual is fine. The thing you need to remember is most terms start off as either rude or polite and change over time. It used to be polite to say ''homosexual couple'' for example but now the PC term is ''same sex couple''. Girls used to prefer ''lesbian'' but now all seem to simply prefer ''gay''. I've not met every single American or every single English person but in my opinion most people generally dont care in the slightest which orientation you are and/or claim to be.

Hey, nothing is wrong with describing a homosexual person as a homosexual person. Using it just like that. "Oh, he is homosexual" is absolutely dandy with me. Do you not grasp what I am saying? More clearly for you:

Good:
"He is homosexual"

Bad:
"He is a homosexual".

The latter is a case where someone is referring to another person as a homosexual. Think of it this way, "Don't worry about it, John, they were okay to kill because they were a homosexual, not a real person". While that is clearly and purposely a dramatic example, do you get what I'm saying?

Mike Cash · 26 Oct 2011

It is the proliferation of chip-on-the-shoulder hypersensitive professional victims eternally in search of something to be pi$$ed off about that makes me glad not to live in the US anymore.

derick78b · 26 Oct 2011

Thor said:
Hey, nothing is wrong with describing a homosexual person as a homosexual person. Using it just like that. "Oh, he is homosexual" is absolutely dandy with me. Do you not grasp what I am saying? More clearly for you:
Good:
"He is homosexual"
Bad:
"He is a homosexual".
The latter is a case where someone is referring to another person as a homosexual. Think of it this way, "Don't worry about it, John, they were okay to kill because they were a homosexual, not a real person". While that is clearly and purposely a dramatic example, do you get what I'm saying?

That's being TOTALLY ridiculous.

When I said I had anything to do with them, it was like "I'm not against them."

Thor, you really want to cause some troubles don't you?

Please, if you cannot answer my main question, please shut up and go home.

You're not a Japanese and I really don't think you're able to know the answer for my question.

Half-n-Half, I'm really thankfull. It seems that only you and Coffesan know what I'm meaning. Thanks.

Davey, thank you too. I'm very happy to know about your story, it really cleared my mind and I think you were the only one who answered my question.
P.S. I'm used to say: "I'm a man." and that's definitely fine...

--"

Thank you all.
Have a nice day.

What japanese think about homosexual people?

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