38% of LGBT people sexually harassed or assaulted: survey

Isn't it time that Japan joined most of the Developed World in the 21st Century?

I'm an expat Japanese (born 1992) and living abroad since 1994, and this surprises me, I didn't know Japan was like this to LGBT. I thought, by knowing that Akie Abe was a leading voice in supporting sexual minorities despite her husband's positions, that Japan was a safe haven. I am gay myself and here where I live it's pretty safe, but inequality always exists. It's incredibly sick to read of sexual assaults, or non-sexual assaults. Usually, the attackers are the ones who call us "sick people" yet they commit these depraved acts of violence. Disgusting. We're all equal. We all deserve the same respect and treatment. I truly hope this changes.

At least two tormenters during the schooldays turned out to be gay. Many years later, they apologized for their behaviour.

It's down to lack of education, religious intolerance and views passed on from parents, sadly.

Time to end the stigma of being LGBT.

Howaitosan

Isn't it time that Japan joined most of the Developed World in the 21st Century

take a breath champ, Japan sure ain’t the only country

Sad but is anyone really surprised? The LGBT community is harassed, discriminated against, raped and/ or murdered in every country on earth. People are just so closed minded. Leave these people in peace.

We should see this entire list to see what exactly the report authors "deem" as sexual harassment or assault.

Ironic, seeing how some here passively/aggressively try to define us every day.

Telling us what constitutes a family, or a marriage, or how to behave in the workplace.

Why do some feel the need to do that to us LGBT people, do you think?

Without a better description of the survey questions and answers, this report doesn't mean much. Sexual harassment is sometimes defined very broadly, and I think that hurts the overall movement. People who have been seriously mistreated and lumped in with people who have (or should have been) simply slightly annoyed.

And what about the same questions being asked of non-LGBT people? We have no basis for comparison here.

Burning BushToday 07:25 am JST

We should see this entire list to see what exactly the report authors "deem" as sexual harassment or assault.

This is beyond disgusting. I'm just so sick and tired of you and the other men on here dismissing sexual assault or accusing victims of lying about it. I know this post will be censored by the mod for "attacking" you, but FFS - you are a real piece of *** Burning Bush.

Unwanted sexual advances are surely in these results. I propose that most of us (men and women) would say they have had these. I certainly have.

The article is missing the numbers for non-LGBT people. Brief googling suggests that 1/3 of Japanese women experienced some sort of sexual harassment. This indicates that there is no particular bias towards LGBT people in Japan.

I never once told anybody what pronouns they should or shouldn't use for other people.

And yet, there has been much weeping and gnashing of teeth from conservatives when we ask not to be deadnamed or state our preferred gender or pronoun.

Still, there's no denial that my statement on how we are told to behave in love, relationships, workplace is correct.

Interesting, also, to see heterosexual people demand their numbers and questions.

Lads (for it is mostly men complaining), you get your chances to comment on harassment and sexual assaults on non-LGBT every day.

And the comments on those horrible stories are very telling.

@girl_in_tokyo

Completely understand the anger. Misogyny, homophobia and the incel culture are something we have to deal with by making a stand. Lobbying politicians, demonstrating, supporting positive and inclusive legislation, making ourselves visible and not vulnerable.

Stay strong. We shall overcome.

Wakey wakey mods !!

they must be sleeping - letting a few of these comments slide by here today

Interesting, also, to see heterosexual people demand their numbers and questions.

It's called the scientific method. Objective research is based on numbers and questions.

You and girl_in_tokyo are both obviously smart. But you have both locked yourselves in boxes with hardline views and assumptions that limit the scope of your thinking. I could identify with any of the letters in LGBT (well, L would have been a stretch, but now within reach, thanks to recent correct opinions on gender). I don't choose to tag myself that way, because sexual preferences are not a big part of who I am, and I also don't like the baggage of assumptions those tags carry.

There is plenty of injustice in the world without having to seek it out or demand one's share of victimhood. By all means, lobby and demonstrate away, if all you are after is equal rights. But this article, without the necessary details of numbers and questions, is meaningless.

But you have both locked yourselves in boxes with hardline views and assumptions that limit the scope of your thinking.

Nothing hardline about asking not to be discriminated against, verbally, physically or sexually.

Every time an LGBT related subject comes up, there are the same voices cropping up telling us how to behave. To accept things as they are. To shut up about our sexuality, to be more vocal about our sexuality. To be quiet and remain that way. To come out and identify ourselves.

With such gaslighting and contradictory abuse, it's hardly surprising that instead of yielding - some of us are making our concerns heard.

I could identify with any of the letters in LGBT (well, L would have been a stretch, but now within reach, thanks to recent correct opinions on gender). I don't choose to tag myself that way, because sexual preferences are not a big part of who I am, and I also don't like the baggage of assumptions those tags carry.

And that's great. But LGBT people have different experiences as well as common ones. Not a fan of labels myself, but when it's in context (articles like this) I'll show solidarity. Used to keep quiet because there's always those who insist our very lives and existence are some kind of vast conspiracy/propaganda to turn people gay! Because if you mentioned your sexuality (usually after some random makes a bigoted remark) you're told to stop shoving it down our throats etc.

It's always been damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

Had enough of it over the decades and decided it was time to speak up.

If you feel the article (and other LGBT related articles) is meaningless, fine. That's your opinion.

Wow. Seeing the comments is just shocking. Justification of harassment and assault, sheer homophobia and bigotry. Thank holiness my parents took me out of Japan at age 2 (if comments are representative of the Japanese of course).

I think every person must be able to live his/her life, as he or she wants and no kind of violence or sexism must be tolerated

BUT i am also against the childish exhibitionism of the LGBT. I don’t go sit on top of a parade car wearing only a leather slip. Or other of this provoking activity. That might have been called for in the beginning of the campaigns but these days there is no need. It is , to me, immature behaviour and now, does more harm then good.

Justification of harassment and assault, sheer homophobia and bigotry. 

hardly. asking for clarification and comparison is only justification of harassment if you don’t care about perspective or significance.

BUT i am also against the childish exhibitionism of the LGBT.

Ah, yes. There's always a "but"...

I don’t go sit on top of a parade car wearing only a leather slip. Or other of this provoking activity.

Just because you don't do it, doesn't mean everyone has to be a square, a grouch, a downer. Never been to carnival? Cos Play? Patrick's Day Parade? Any kind of parade? A concert of your favourite band where everyone dresses up?

That might have been called for in the beginning of the campaigns but these days there is no need. It is , to me, immature behaviour and now, does more harm then good.

Indeed. Because some people will read such ridiculous statements and think to themselves, "yeah, those leather loving exhibitionists. let's tar them all with the same brush, and use such examples to defeat their valid concerns and arguments"...

It's a bit like those who say, "look what she was wearing. That's why she was attacked", etc.

LGBT people are still being beaten up, executed, spat on, abused, spat on, denied their rights in many, many countries.

We're told we're mentally ill, not welcome, not equal, not worthy, show offs, victims, not victims, closeted, barely tolerated, going to hell, childish, immature, whining, shouting, etc ad nauseum.

And then people wonder why we like to escape from all that and party, occasionally.

Isn't it time that Japan joined most of the Developed World in the 21st Century?

Join the rest of the developed world? This is a plight that is currently affecting many all over the world.

They are sexually harassed or assaulted at a staggering rate of 40% yet people refuse to accept when experts say they believe the 2% rate for women is drastically underrepresented.

That might have been called for in the beginning of the campaigns but these days there is no need. It is , to me, immature behaviour and now, does more harm then good.

I agree with this point. Dressing like a circus clown when important issues are at stake is moronic.

That said, discrimination against LGBT people is even more stupid, cruel and childish.

Grow up, stop giving law-abiding people a hard time and give everyone a fair shot.

Any sort of abuse or harassment towards the LGBTQ community or any other person is wrong.

We need a lot more love in this world. May God help us all.

In Japan you could write a very similar article about women. Many have been groped or worse, encountered a flasher, or been subject to sexual harassment in the workplace.

I am not suggesting for one second that lots of wrongs make a right. The fact that the same behaviors affect the much larger group of women as well as LGBT mean that far more needs to be done to confront and educate against harassment and attacks.

Don't panic. Japanese view of self in not the same as in western countries. Japanese view of self is not body focused, it is mind focused whereas western folks view of self in body focused. Ask an American an opinion of what they are thinking and they will completely open up ask them to have a bath with you and they almost go into shock. In Japan , it is opposite, ask someone like a coworker or classmate to have a bath with you and they ask what time, ask them for their opinion and they feel violated.

I have never seem American woman squeezing each other's breasts to compare sizes but it happens in every class in Japan. Call an American fat and they are almost explode with anger as you have "touched their soul."

Call a Japanese person fat and they will just shrug and not think another thing about it because they would say "but I am fat, so......"

@Proxy

Very right.

As an example, no men in onsen cares if an old lady comes among naked men to clean floor. I find it as a violation of my right to be respected in my privacy.

Asked a coworker once if she was married after working over a year with her and said it was intimate question...

I have never seem American woman squeezing each other's breasts to compare sizes

I have, but outside of the US.

Conservative America can be puritanical. They get into a rage if a nipple appears on the telly, and they obsess about what we get up to in the bedroom. They lecture us with eternal damnation and "cures", whilst showering their televangelicals with cash. Then their preachers are caught with rent boys and suchlike.

The puritans would rather we kept quiet and out of sight. And if we are abused, we must not dare complain.

I see you.

Hypocrites.

I have, but outside of the US.

Conservative America can be puritanical. They get into a rage if a nipple appears on the telly, and they obsess about what we get up to in the bedroom. They lecture us with eternal damnation and "cures", whilst showering their televangelicals with cash. Then their preachers are caught with rent boys and suchlike.

All true, but the US is still one of the better countries to be LGBT. The treatment of LGBT people in many countries around the world is horrific compared to the US. Many African countries have a terrible record on this and some countries in Muslim world still have the death penalty on the books.

No country is perfect on this score, but there is a spectrum. I do think we can give some credit where it’s due. They’ve done better than most

Sexual assault in general is a problem in Japan, there is no real support for anyone. The police wont do anything, but dont let the light die out on your bike, they'll be all over you.

The treatment of LGBT people in many countries around the world is horrific compared to the US. Many African countries have a terrible record on this and some countries in Muslim world still have the death penalty on the books.

Of course. It's inexcusable for such inhumane, hateful and draconian treatment of people simply because it makes some fundamentalists uncomfortable.

Overall, Japan and the US (esp the latter) are light years ahead but intolerance still is very much a thing with some people.

Toasted HereticDec. 27  11:28 am JST

BUT i am also against the childish exhibitionism of the LGBT.

Ah, yes. There's always a "but"...

I don’t go sit on top of a parade car wearing only a leather slip. Or other of this provoking activity.

Just because you don't do it, doesn't mean everyone has to be a square, a grouch, a downer. Never been to carnival? Cos Play? Patrick's Day Parade? Any kind of parade? A concert of your favourite band where everyone dresses up?

When you go to a ZZ Top concert you'll see straight couples where the husband wears a real or fake beard and the wife wears a fake beard. But when I first saw ZZ Top at a 2016 balloon fest, I encountered a gay man married couple who BOTH sported real long 'ZZ Top' beards. They got attention alright but nobody gave them any trouble.

JimizoDec. 27  07:01 pm JST

I have, but outside of the US.

Conservative America can be puritanical. They get into a rage if a nipple appears on the telly, and they obsess about what we get up to in the bedroom. They lecture us with eternal damnation and "cures", whilst showering their televangelicals with cash. Then their preachers are caught with rent boys and suchlike.

All true, but the US is still one of the better countries to be LGBT. The treatment of LGBT people in many countries around the world is horrific compared to the US. Many African countries have a terrible record on this and some countries in Muslim world still have the death penalty on the books.

There's still a lot of hateful fanatical homophobes in America. And yes some ignoramuses believe there's a 'gay conversion treatment' that will 'make you straight'. That's BS. Some countries outlaw homosexuality. The president of Uganda is a crazy homophobe, gays are hunted down and killed there. In fact, he uses the media there to expose his opponents as 'gay' (whether they truly are or not) and that 'gay' person is a target who'd better flee the country or die. I'm not gay but nobody should be subject to this. I don't care who it is. Persecuting others like this is wrong.

We'd have stupid 'bathroom' laws in certain states even though 'trans' people are a very small minority. Well, who's so immoral? When you're doing your '#1' you don't go gawking at somebody else's junk.

 sexual preferences

If I am right, the modern term is 'orientation'. Nobody chooses who there are physically attracted to.

Without a better description of the survey questions and answers, this report doesn't mean much

You know, commanteer, if you are actually curious, you could just Google the study and have all your questions answered. But I’m willing to bet that you’re afraid that if you actually look at the study, you’d find that it contradicts your view that they are defining sexual harassment and assault too broadly.

We should see this entire list to see what exactly the report authors "deem" as sexual harassment or assault.

This is beyond disgusting. I'm just so sick and tired of you and the other men on here dismissing sexual assault or accusing victims of lying about it. I know this post will be censored by the mod for "attacking" you, but FFS - you are a real piece of *** Burning Bush.

Wow, calling someone a piece of *** because they have an opinion you don't agree with will not win people over to your side.

Burning Bush makes a valid point. For example, if someone does not give up their seat on a train to a LGBT person, are they now considered anti-LGBT, rude, or just tired and want to sit down?  Burning Bush is not dismissing sexual assault or accusing victims of lying.   What kind of baloney is that?  What’s next?  If playing a sports game such as basketball and one of the players is LGBT and an opposing player accuses them of having no talent at the game, based on the fact that a myriad of shots taken by the LGBT missed the basket by a great distance and the LGBT person just stood there instead of playing defense, is it not true that this person sucks at this particular endeavor? It is not anti-LGBT at all. On the other hand, if the LGBT player made a basket on nearly every shot and played great defense by stealing the ball from the other team or blocked their shots, then the LGBT person should be lauded for their ability.  Conversely, telling the LGBT player that they are talented at the game does not make the person that made that compliment pro-LGBT.  It was only a critique of one’s sports’ ability.