- 18 Apr 2006
- 11
- 0
- 11
Recently I've been pretty curious what it's like to be gay in Japan and how homosexuality is viewed there. I read a few articles and watched a few Youtube videos and this is basically what I gathered. From what I read/heard, it isn't unsafe to be gay or lesbian in Japan. It isn't considered a sin or anything, so if you were to come out, chances are people won't react with hatred or animosity. They'll probably just say "Oh, I see." and leave it at that. However, even though there's no hostility toward the LGBT, very few people understand them or make an effort to understand them. In a lot of media, gay people are portrayed in a very stereotypical fashion (effeminate) and many people just believe that to be what a gay man is; it'd be difficult for a Japanese person to be able to distinguish between a gay man and a trans person. To them, they're all just okama. Because of this and because of pressure from society to be a certain way, there are very very few openly gay or lesbian people in Japan. They're so rare that some people believe that homosexuality is just a fantasy that only exists in media. And because no one in Japan wants to talk about homosexuality and very few are openly homosexual, there's really no push for further gay rights in Japan. So basically, people in Japan won't be hostile towards homosexuals, but they won't view you as "normal" and automatically associate you with the stereotypical gays they see in media. This is what I gathered, but I could be very wrong. Feel free to correct me.
But my question is, if Japanese people only know about homosexuality based on what they see in the media, then why is their knowledge of it so limited? I know there are a lot of BL/Yaoi stories for example in manga, anime, and movies, and from the ones I've seen, the guys aren't portrayed in a super stereotypically feminine manner. There are a lot of stories where one guy plays the more submissive role, but he's still not overly feminine. There are even some where both guys in the relationship are on equal levels. And not all BL/Yaoi is just fantasy porn either, some actually do deal with the very real issues of being gay. So I'm just wondering, with stuff like this in Japan, why're so many Japanese people still so confused and think gay is just a woman in a man's body? Is it because BL/Yaoi isn't as wide spread or something?
This also made me think of something else, and that's being different in general in Japan. I've heard from many people that in Japan, being different from everyone isn't something to be celebrated. Unlike in America where people value their uniqueness and strive to be special, in Japan you're pressured to fit in with the rest of the crowd. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." But if this is the case, then what's up with all the anime, manga, and video games I've seen where the main character, often the hero, is viewed as different, but their differences are celebrated? The main character usually doesn't change and instead the people around him/her value what makes them them. I've experienced many Japanese stories where the moral is to just be yourself, trust in your abilities, and form your own path instead of following the path someone or something laid out for you. Why're stories in a lot of Japanese anime, manga, video games, etc so contradictory to what the Japanese actually follow? Do Japanese people view these stories, but don't take their messages to heart or something?
I hope these aren't silly questions, but I just figured that what I see in Japanese media would also reflect toward their culture. And to a very big extent, it does, but in the examples I talked about, it sounds like it doesn't. Remember this is all stuff that I've heard and seen from articles and videos, so if I'm misinformed, please correct me.
But my question is, if Japanese people only know about homosexuality based on what they see in the media, then why is their knowledge of it so limited? I know there are a lot of BL/Yaoi stories for example in manga, anime, and movies, and from the ones I've seen, the guys aren't portrayed in a super stereotypically feminine manner. There are a lot of stories where one guy plays the more submissive role, but he's still not overly feminine. There are even some where both guys in the relationship are on equal levels. And not all BL/Yaoi is just fantasy porn either, some actually do deal with the very real issues of being gay. So I'm just wondering, with stuff like this in Japan, why're so many Japanese people still so confused and think gay is just a woman in a man's body? Is it because BL/Yaoi isn't as wide spread or something?
This also made me think of something else, and that's being different in general in Japan. I've heard from many people that in Japan, being different from everyone isn't something to be celebrated. Unlike in America where people value their uniqueness and strive to be special, in Japan you're pressured to fit in with the rest of the crowd. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." But if this is the case, then what's up with all the anime, manga, and video games I've seen where the main character, often the hero, is viewed as different, but their differences are celebrated? The main character usually doesn't change and instead the people around him/her value what makes them them. I've experienced many Japanese stories where the moral is to just be yourself, trust in your abilities, and form your own path instead of following the path someone or something laid out for you. Why're stories in a lot of Japanese anime, manga, video games, etc so contradictory to what the Japanese actually follow? Do Japanese people view these stories, but don't take their messages to heart or something?
I hope these aren't silly questions, but I just figured that what I see in Japanese media would also reflect toward their culture. And to a very big extent, it does, but in the examples I talked about, it sounds like it doesn't. Remember this is all stuff that I've heard and seen from articles and videos, so if I'm misinformed, please correct me.