right:Nanae Takizawa, left:her partner Nanae Takizawa, a former professional volleyball player, openly came out as gay on a Japanese TV show that aired on November 16th. Nanae Takizawa had been known as “too beautiful for a volleyball player” and had been popular among volleyball fans when she joined a team “Pioneer Red Wings” in 2006. She retired in 2013. On the Japanese TV show, she appeared as an instructor for “Bijiri”, meaning nice- ass fitness. When she was asked whether she had someone special on the Japanese TV show, she openly came out as gay, saying that “Yes, I have never
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On November 8th, George Takei, one of the well-known actors from the movie “Star Trek”, visited Japan to exchange opinions with Diet members and also made his speech at the seminar held by Waseda University Gender Sexuality Center. The main purpose of his visit to Japan was to promote his new musical, “Allegiance”, which is based on his experience of Japanese internment. Mr. Takei says that he experienced discrimination as he grew up gay. In the 1950s and 1960s, the only place where he could be who he really was was the gay bar where a lot of his friends
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the center: Mr.Takashima, Mayor of Fukuoka City Kyushu Rainbow Pride 2017 took place on November 5th in Reisen Park, Fukuoka City, attracting as many as seven thousand participants. The venue was filled with excitement. In Reisen Park, the participants were enjoying booths run by Consulate of the United States in Fukuoka and many local companies such as Rainbow Soup and haco. Even big companies such as JAL and Hakata Marui were running booths. There were also some booths for children this year. Around the stage area, local drag queens, Bourbonne, Shimoji Masaaki, Kiyotaka, and members of Nijigumi Fight were entertaining
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A gay couple living in Osaka City has been recognized as foster parents in Osaka City. It is the first case in Japan that a gay couple became foster parents, according to municipal and central government officials. (there used to be a lesbian couple who was allowed to be a foster parent respectively and they started to live together with the foster child in Kanto region.) Last September, the gay couple sent their application form to the child guidance center to be foster parents. After taking multiple seminars required to deeply understand foster care system and its principles, the couple
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