LGBT. Have you heard of this?
Yes, I have.
No...
I think it's totally fine, but I don't have these kind of people around me, so I don't know.
I think more and more people will understand it.
Hey it's Cathy Cat, today we are gonna go and ask Japanese people here on the street of Shibuya,
about their opinion on LGBT.
So let's go and ask Japanese!
L,G,B,T, have you ever heard of it?
-Yes, I have. -NO.
L,G,B,T, have you ever heard of it?
Yes, I have.
NO.
Do you know what does LGBT means?
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.
I had a class about it in the college.
Is it something you learnt from college?
Yes.
Have you heard of the word LGBT?
-NO. -NO. -NO.
L stands for Lesbian.
B stands for Bisexual.
G stands for Gay.
T stands for Transgender.
Then have you ever heard of these words?
-Yes, we have.
LGBT have your ever heard of it?
Oh I have.
-LGTB? -LGBT.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and...
Technician?!
Oh it's transgender!
Where did you hear about it?
I think from the News.
It's not totally accepted in Japan yet,
but in particular areas and cities it's accepted.
But I think people still judge them a lot.
People who have the same interests can understand each other,
but I guess it is hard for ordinary people to understand them.
I think there are still some prejudice towards them.
I think it's totally fine, but I don't have these kind of people around me, so I don't know.
It's fine for me, personally.
But in society, they are minority
the may face some prejudice.
In Japan, do you think it still needs time for them to be accepted?
I think it still needs time.
I think it takes time.
The reason is, these people are not well known yet
and many people have not come out yet.
I think the percentage of the people born this way is the same
So in Japan we feel there are a few of them around us,
which means a lot of them are still keeping it a secret.
I feel, the society has not fully accepted them yet.
Even if it's a rumour about a boy couple in school,
the students will act up about it
So I think Japanese are not used to it yet.
Do people have different reactions towards boy couples or girl couples?
I think boy couples may have more resistance from others
Girls are fine to be really close,
Even with friends it's fine to hold hands,
and no one will feel uncomfortable about it.
Boys rarely do that.
Boys couples may make people more uncomfortable
But recently there are hot topics about homosexual,
The Otakus enjoy these topics for fun,
It's not about being completely accepted,
people are interested in it and starting to think it's interesting.
I think to act like guy couples for fun is different from real couples which love each other.
but I feel guy couples are less accepted
Having these people around and when listening to their stories,
it's true that not a lot of people really accept it,
which I felt it so wrong.
I think they deserve to be accepted more
I think it's just fine.
I think the concept of marriage is free.
But I think in Japan, even if the law allows,
Concrete ideas are so strong,
Though the society is developing to accept these people,
I still think it's difficult here.
Is it more harder to be accepted in the countryside?
It's easier for the young people to change their attitude,
but I think for the old people it's kind of hard.
Do you think it still needs a long time?
I think so.
I think without counting the age, from the whole society,
It still needs a lot of time.
But for young people, such as for me,
I don't judge them by their sexual orientation.
As a society,, it's not totally accepted yet.
Don't know whether the prejudice will be gone,
but still I think more people will start to accept it.
Looking through the whole society,
I think people having prejudice are still the majority.
But I don't have prejudice and I can accept.
So I really wish Japan can be more free about it.
Do you have friend who is LGBT?
-Yes I have.
Male, female, or transgender?
A male like female.
She have a heart of a male.
But still, we are good friends.
Do you think she will be having some difficulties in Japan in the future?
I think she can not change her registration easily.
I think it's not easy to change your gender,
so if she want to do that, maybe there will be some difficulties.
I have a image that it's not easy,
for the same gender to get married.
I have a coworker who likes man as man.
I feel nothing wrong about it.
Have you heard anything they felt difficult from them?
There was one, who's my ex-coworker,
He used to be a woman, but now became a man since he had the heart of a man
He was saying that it's hard to tell the truth to people around.
He worried the most if people dislikes him if he tells the truth.
There's guy, who came out on the twitter saying he's a gay, on his birthday.
It's hard until he did it, but once he did, there were lots of people who accepts him.
So he says he's so glad that he did it.
So he became free after he came out.
Oh I have a friend!
He just told me the truth, and I only felt "oh really, I see."
It was like, "so what?"
I only felt "Oh I am glad to hear that."
and "I wish you will get a nice boyfriend!"
It was a man, and he told me he likes men.
And I just felt fine.
He was a foreigner.
Maybe because he's not Japanese? I didn't felt anything special.
I think Japanese people will not tell in the first place.
But when there was an old man wearing high school girl's uniform in the street,
I can not stop staring...
What will you do if your friend tells you that he's a gay?
I will suspect first.
I will feel "Really? Are you serious?"
I think I will be surprised,
but I believe everyone's got their own likes,
I just want to let it be.
I don't really know as long as it really happens to me.
Maybe it will be difficult to stay in the same relationship as it used to be.
I just can't imagine it.
If one day your good friend tells you that he is gay,
or he's bisexual.
What would you do? Will you accept him?
I will accept him. I think it's just fine.
I think to do whatever he wants is the best for him.
I will stand by him.
I think as a friend it's fine.
But if I'm the one he's in love with, I'll have to think again
I think I am totally fine with it.
I think I will just accept it.
I think he must have suffered because of it,
and I would like to hear his story and support him.
Usually, I will notice the details and speculate a little,
Before they tell me the truth.
So I am well ready any time to accept it
If suddenly your friend tells you they are gay or Lesbian,
How would you respond?
-I probably will be very interested in it. -Me too!
I will be asking lots of questions, like "How does it feel?"
If it's really my friend I think it's easy to accept.
But if it's a friend's friend, I am afraid I will be talking about it behind his back...
We will be talking like, "Do you know that guy, he's a..."
We don't mean to talk anything bad, but I think it won't sounds nice.
That's all the questions! Thank you very much!
So LGBT, finally can ask this question again.
We've asked this question before for the Bunka Fashion College Students.
But this time we went on the street, because it's such a different environment.
Some people know the term, some people didn't know the term.
And some people had friends in the LGBT community, some actually didn't.
So it's kind of a mix.
We can see there are still quiet a long way to go,
especially when people say, you know,
how will you react when a friend confessed to you?
They will be like :"Um...yeah..."
Might makes me stop for a moment,
but the guess will be "Okay...?"
Many people don't have much experience in that area.
So I think Japan still has a long way to go.
But there a re good areas for example like 2 chome in Shinjuku.
Where all the LGBT people come together and celebrate most of the time.
So, let me know about your country.
How open is your country open to LGBT?
I'm looking forward to read your comments,
And I'll catch you soon on Ask Japanese!