LGBTQ

Japan’s Family Mart selling rainbow socks, rainbow-package fried chicken as show of LGBTQ support

Portion of revenue to be donated to advocacy groups.

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UNIQLO’s newest commercial features AIRism casual wear and heartwarming sapphic love

Gal pals? No, gal lovers!

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Japanese sake brewery launches One Cup Rainbow in honour of the LGBTQ community

New sake will be sold in eight countries around the world. 

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Judge rules Japanese government rejecting same-sex marriage applications is unconstitutional

Decision could affect outcomes of other ongoing lawsuits.

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New Pantene commercial interviews Japanese trans individuals about difficulties of job hunting

Sending love and light to the LGBTQ+ community.

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Anger sparks as Tokyo politician claims “legally protecting lesbians and gays will ruin district”

But like how?

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Another women’s university in Japan to accept transgender women, the first in Kyushu

Another win for transgender rights in Japan.

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Queer Eye in Japan: Behind the scenes of new Netflix special currently being filmed in Tokyo

We take a look at what the Fab Five have been getting up to during their stay in Japan.

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Five reasons why Queer Eye is such a big hit on Netflix in Japan

How the loud-and-proud Fab Five were able to find success in a country that lags behind others when it comes to LGBTQ issues.

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Tokyo school teaches cross-dressing men, transgender individuals to move and speak femininely

Classes include voice training, makeup clinics.

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Japanese gay community at the centre of new “Tokyo Neighbors” web series 【Video】

The webisodes explore what it’s like to be gay in Japan.

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Japan elects its first openly transgender man to public office

25-year-old politician draws on his own experiences of isolation during campaign.

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Touching DoCoMo ad shines light on diversity, features well-known Japanese lesbian couple

The new ad will bring tears to your eyes while revealing some interesting statistics about Japanese society.

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Mini documentary discusses importance of Sailor Moon for 90s LGBTQ kids

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Panasonic to recognize same-sex marriages of its employees starting this April

Panasonic, the Japanese electronics producer and one of the Olympic Games’ biggest sponsors, announces sweeping policy changes.

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Equal Wedding Japan: Traditional Japanese-style wedding ceremonies tailored for same-sex couples

The new service offers traditional Japanese wedding ceremonies to all nationalities, genders, and sexual orientations.

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Beautiful soldiers: This is what conscription looks like for Thailand’s trans women

Like many countries, Thailand’s military has conscription by way of a lottery. Draft day is held each April, around the time of the traditional New Year, and all men over 21 – even those who no longer consider themselves to be male – are required to attend the conscription lottery once.

Thailand is widely considered the trans capital of the world, and more gender reassignment surgery takes place there than in any other country. So Thailand’s unusually high number of trans females (kathoey or “ladyboys”) makes this conscription process somewhat unique.

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Aussie/Kiwi ATMs come out of the closet as fabulous GayTMs

It’s nice when something invisibly quotidian is tweaked in a way that grabs your full attention. Previously we’ve talked about slightly altered street signs and artistic renderings of subway maps, and now the humble cash machine gets an eye-grabbing makeover in the interest of LGBTQ inclusivity.

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