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May 3, 2013
Dutch LGBT rights advocate says Japan is starting along path to gay marriage

Borris Dittrich, former Dutch MP and LGBT director for Human Rights Watch, said 'the start is happening now'

The man who helped make the Netherlands the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage in 2001 has said 'the start is happening now' for the same in Japan.

Borris Dittrich, former Dutch MP and LGBT director for Human Rights Watch said in an interview with the Japan Daily Press:

April 28, 2013
Tokyo proudly parties with the Rainbow Pride Parade

Around 3,000 participated in the second, and most visible, day of Tokyo Rainbow Week with a parade and park party today

Tokyo Rainbow Week continued today (28 April) with its second, and perhaps most visible event, the Tokyo Rainbow Pride Parade.

Gay Star News was at the parade.

The event started in the 'Pride Village' in Yoyogi Park, where about 3,000 people gathered to watch performances, visit booths, and then to parade through the streets of Shibuya and back to the park.

Several corporations were at the event, including Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Google, IBM, Phillips, and UBS.

April 27, 2013
Ambassador launches Tokyo Rainbow Week

Tokyo Rainbow Week 2013 kicked off with a 'Colorful Eve Reception' at the residence of the ambassador of the Netherlands

The Dutch ambassador to Japan has kicked-off Tokyo Rainbow Week 2013 with a colorful reception for the LGBT community and their supporters.

Tokyo Rainbow Week is dedicated to supporting Japan’s sexual minority community, creating a friendly and accepting society where anybody can be themselves and lead 'a life of happiness and optimism'.

April 5, 2013
'People think we are powerless and voiceless, but we have enormous power'

Sunil Pant has come along way from not even knowing the word for gay before he was twenty to getting LGBTI rights recognized by the Supreme Court in Nepal, and he's not going to let current troubles hold him back

It's not an easy time for Sunil Pant, founder of the largest LGBT rights group in Nepal, Blue Diamond Society (BDS). A government office has sat on the renewal of BDS's license, holding-up funding so that staff haven't been paid for months. LGBTI activists are also being harassed, which Pant links to the same government officer.

March 16, 2013
Tokyo gay shop busted for selling 'obscene' photo books

Japan's police arrested two staff of a gay shop for selling photography books which included pictures of nude men

Tokyo’s metropolitan police announced that it arrested staff of a gay store in the Shinjuku district for selling a book by photographer Leslie Kee that included images of full male nudity, which they deemed 'obscene'.

Officers took into custody yesterday (15 March) the 61-year-old manager of Lumiere, a shop located in Tokyo’s gay quarter that sells DVDs and magazines, and one other employee.

The manager of Lumiere told officers that the editor of Japan’s gay magazine Badi said that selling Kee’s books is not illegal as they are considered artistic.

March 5, 2013
Tokyo Disneyland hosts lesbian wedding

Gay rights activist and her girlfriend marry in double bridal white wedding in Tokyo Disneyland

When Japanese gay rights activist Koyuki Higashi contacted Tokyo Disneyland last year to ask if they would host her wedding to her girlfriend it sounded like an awareness-raising stunt, but in fact she did dream of a white wedding at Disneyland and last Friday the dream came true.

'My partner Hiroko and I just held a gay wedding at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Even Mickey and Minnie are here to celebrate with us!' said Higashi in a tweet, accompanied by a photo of the new wives with the Disney characters, that was retweeted 6,000 times.

February 6, 2013
Zurich Pride Festival gets ready to rock the Swiss party capital

GSN travels to the Swiss party capital to check on preparations for pride in 2013

If you were academically inclined, the evolution of LGBT ‘Pride’ events around the world would make an interesting dissertation subject.

What began in cities such as San Francisco and New York as small angry protests, demanding equality and an end to discrimination, has now become a fixture on the calendar of most major urban centers around the world.

December 16, 2012
Lauren Anderson: The Brit fighting for LGBT rights in Japan

GSN meets the girl from Liverpool who is committed to achieving equality for gays and lesbians in Japan and has become a key part of Tokyo Rainbow Pride

On a recent visit to Tokyo, Lauren Anderson’s name seem to come up a lot. The English communications officer for Tokyo Rainbow Pride - it was clear from the people that I spoke to in Japan that Anderson was well connected and well respected.

After an exchange of emails, we worked out that we would both be in London in December. We met in a Giraffe restaurant in the The Brunswick shopping centre in Bloomsbury, close to where Anderson is studying.

December 9, 2012
Nicola Formichetti covers Dazed and Confused December issue

The self-described art director who's collaborated with Lady Gaga, Dolce and Gabbana and Uniqlo styles and stars on the cover of the English style magazine's last issue for 2012

Nicola Formichetti, fashion director for Lady Gaga, Uniqlo and Vogue Hommes Japan is on the cover of this month's Dazed and Confused.

Photographed by Matt Irwin, the half-Italian, half-Japanese fashion director and editor appears alongside the magazine's other cover model Angelababy.

 The December issue is titled under the hash-tag Fantasia and features a compilation of Asia's rising creative talent including artists, actors, models and bloggers.

November 24, 2012
Four of the best hotels in the world

GSN discovers some of the world’s best hotels

Whether you’re traveling for work or pleasure, as you experience and explore the world it becomes increasingly and painfully self-evident that life is too short for bad food or bad hotels.

Here’s GSN’s guide to some of our favorite hotels around the world.

Banyan Tree - Bangkok

I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I recently spent a weekend in Bangkok and did not leave this hotel, not once - it was that good.

November 21, 2012
JET program develops support network for its gay and lesbian teachers in Japan

Stonewall AJET is an LGBT network that has grown from the Japan Exchange and Teaching program

Now in its 26th year, the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program is an international teaching exchange that in 2012 saw over 4,000 teachers from 40 countries travel to Japan to teach languages - making it one of the world’s largest exchange programs.

November 21, 2012
Tokyo Rainbow Pride planning a bright future for Japanese gays and lesbians

GSN meets the organizers of Tokyo Rainbow Pride

I met Inui Hiroteru, co-chair of Tokyo Rainbow Pride at the Park Hyatt hotel near Shinjuku.

‘Call me Hiro’ he said politely as we shook hands; 33-year-old Hiro’s English was perfect, my Japanese non-existent.

It was happy hour in the New York Bar, so we chatted over beers while admiring the spectacular lights of of the city below us.

November 20, 2012
Lost in Tokyo

GSN channels our inner Scarlett Johansson and explores the Japanese capital

This was my first visit to Japan and I was excited.

I flew Virgin Atlantic from London’s Heathrow to Tokyo Narita Airport (grabbing some Yo Sushi! for breakfast to help me start to connect with the Japanese culture).

November 20, 2012
Lost in Tokyo

GSN channels our inner Scarlett Johansson and explores the Japanese capital

This was my first visit to Japan and I was excited.

I flew Virgin Atlantic from London’s Heathrow to Tokyo Narita Airport (grabbing some Yo Sushi! for breakfast to help me start to connect with the Japanese culture).

November 5, 2012
Trans man denied recognition of fatherhood in Japan

Despite being official recognized as male, judge rules that trans man cannot be named on his child’s birth certificate

A judge in Japan denied a trans man the right to be registered as the father on his son’s birth certificate at Tokyo Family Court last Wednesday (31 October).

The man had his male gender officially recognized before marrying his wife in 2008 and the husband of a woman who has a child is presumed to be the father in Japan.

September 24, 2012
Asexual man charged for serving his genitals to diners in Japan

Tokyo police charge 23-year-old illustrator with indecent exposure 

A man who had surgery to remove his genitals, and then served them at a dinner, is being charged with indecent exposure by Tokyo Metropolitian Police.

Twenty-three-year-old illustrator Mao Sugiyama had surgery to remove his penis and testicles to fulfil his asexual identity.

May 22, 2012
Japanese director says he is not anti-gay

Takeshi Kitano denies he is anti-gay after a backlash to his comments on national TV show

Japanese actor-director Takeshi Kitano has denied that he is anti-gay after he attracted criticism for comparing gay marriage to bestiality on national television.

On a TV show discussing US President Obama’s support for gay marriage Kitano, who is a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts as well as a big star, said: ‘Obama supports gay marriage. You would support marriage to an animal eventually, then.'

May 15, 2012
Tokyo Disneyland welcomes gay weddings

After initial refusal, Tokyo Disneyland welcomes same-sex wedding celebrations

Following a PR boob, Tokyo Disneyland has redeemed itself by agreeing that same-sex wedding ceremonies can be celebrated at their resorts.

Gay rights blogger Koyuki Higashi contacted Disneyland in Tokyo to ask if publicised plans to host weddings at the resort would be available for her and her girlfriend.

May 3, 2012
Morrissey's Japan tour is a drag

Morrissey's guitarist and co-songwriter has been performing in drag during Japan tour

Gay indie music legend Morrissey's guitarist and co-songwriter Boz Boorer has been performing in drag during their tour of Japan, which finishes tonight at Ebisu Garden Hall in Tokyo.

Morrissey introduced Boorer, who has been touring with Morrissey since 1991, as
'the lovely, irrepressible Gaynor Tension'.

The rest of the band were wearing t'shirts reading 'Assad is shit' presumably referring to the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad.

April 30, 2012
2,500 march for gay pride in Tokyo

Organisers of Tokyo Rainbow Pride say an April march will now be a firm fixture in the LGBT calendar

Sunday's Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade attracted 2,500 participants and 2,000 spectators.

After a difficult few years, and no Pride march at all in 2011, LGBT pride in Tokyo is back and the organisers promise that following this weekend's success, Tokyo Rainbow Pride will be a annual event.

April 26, 2012
Tokyo has twice the Pride

The capital of Japan has two LGBT Pride marches this year. Gay Star News speaks to the organisers of this Sunday's Tokyo Rainbow Pride

In Tokyo Pride marches are like buses. You wait for over a year and then two come along at once. Although with Tokyo's excellent transport system, the analogy doesn't translate so well. Anyway, in 2011 there were no LGBT Pride marches and 2012 has two, one on August 11 (Tokyo Pride) and one this Sunday 29 April (Tokyo Rainbow Pride).

April 2, 2012
Polite prejudice: LGBT life in Japan

Gay Star News interview one of the first gay elected politicians in Japan, Taiga Ishikawa

The way that societies treat LGBT people varies as cultures vary across nationalities. In Japan, a very polite and reserved culture, name-calling and playground punches are not such a problem for LGBT youth, but the silent treatment and behind-your-back bad-mouthing is.

March 4, 2012
US pro-gay editorial hotly debated in Japan

An editorial by the Los Angeles Times making an analogy between interracial marriage and same-same marriage has stirred up debates in a Japanese newspaper

An editorial by the Los Angeles Times comparing interracial marriage to same-same marriage has stirred up debates across the Pacific in Japan.

Readers from The Japan Times argued whether the analogy is a flawed one and the apparent growing acceptance of homosexuality, a by-product of intimidation by the liberal media.