Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2016! New employee Makino’s “Ally” declaration!

Hello! I’m Makino, and I joined the company this year!

The other day, I participated as a new employee in Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2016, the 10-day “LGBT” festival held from April 29 to May 8!

SUNNY SIDE UP supports PR activities every year, and on the final day there is a parade in which LGBT people and supporters known as Allies walk through the streets of Shibuya and Harajuku, and we all joined it together.

People along the route smiled and waved, and even gave high-fives, and I had the impression that the entire Shibuya area—including the spectators—was energized. Above all, it was simply incredibly fun to walk through Shibuya with everyone, whose looks and personalities were so colorful!

LGBT is an acronym for lesbian (women attracted to women), gay (men attracted to men), bisexual, and transgender (people whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth; the term may also include gender identity disorder), and is a collective term referring to people who are treated as “sexual minorities.”

So, if the world were a village of 100 people, how many do you think would be LGBT?
The answer is said to be seven.

This figure is based on the results of the “LGBT Survey 2015” conducted by Dentsu Diversity Lab, which found that 7.6% of Japan’s population falls within the LGBT demographic. (However, because some people do not disclose this, the exact number is not known.)

Did 7.6% feel like a small number to you, or a large one?

Some of you may not be able to picture it, but the top four surnames in Japan—Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi, and Tanaka—are said to account for about 5% of the population. In other words, there are more LGBT people than that. Knowing this, I felt that 7.6% is by no means a small number.

By participating in Tokyo Rainbow Pride this time, I was able to learn more deeply about LGBT issues, and at the same time I realized there is still so much I do not know—and so much I should learn. It made me keenly aware that I had been living with a narrow set of values.

In Japan, I still hear that some people hold prejudices against LGBT people, and that LGBT people sometimes face discrimination in reality.

It may indeed not be easy to accept values that differ from your own. However, by participating this time, I felt that this, too, is simply one form of individuality. Just as my nose is low or my friend’s eyes are blue, if we can see LGBT people, in a broad sense, as having their own individuality, then our world can expand as well.

By accepting a wide range of people, you gain more encounters, and as the range of those encounters expands, your own values expand. If, because of trivial prejudice, I were to have fewer opportunities to meet people around me—by the number of Satos, Suzukis, Takahashis, and Tanakas—I would find that dull and lonely. Having encountered SUNNY SIDE UP, which embraces diversity, and having been fortunate to have opportunities to meet people of different cultures and genders, I felt that I want to help broaden understanding of sexual minorities.

If you are not directly affected but have read this blog and thought, “Is there something I can do?”, I have one suggestion. It is something you can do right away, and it is very simple: become an “Ally.” An “Ally” is someone who understands and supports LGBT people.

For example, if you witness discrimination or harassment around you, you can speak up to say that the person affected may be hurt, or you can organize study sessions about LGBT topics at school or in the workplace.

Actions like these may help create a society in which those affected can feel comfortable as well. Surely, the courage it takes to become an Ally is nothing compared with the tremendous courage LGBT people need to openly disclose their identity.

By participating in the parade, I decided to become an Ally. Would you also gather just a little courage and become an Ally with me? I am sure new colors will spread through your world.