Invisibility of Sexual Minority “Women” in Japan

There are no existing laws that either discriminate against or guarantee the rights of lesbian, gay men, bisexuals in Japan. It is partly because LGBs are quite invisible in every day life in Japan, except on TV shows. It is not strange to see a gay man or a man who appears to be so on TV. They often talk like women, cross-dress, and are expected to be teased or to play the fool. However, we hardly see a lesbian or a woman who can be seen as an FtM (Female to Male) transgender even on TV.

　　In a LGBT community, some says the number of lesbians is less than that of gay men, because they don’t see them so often, and others mention most women are bisexual, so there not so many lesbians in Japan. Why do they appear to be fewer “lesbians” than gay men?  Do most of them recognize themselves as “bisexual”?  In this presentation, I will compare interviews of sexual minority men and women focusing not on “the number” but the invisibility of the sexuality of women in terms of three points; the first is their different experiences when coming out, the second is a sexual double bind, and the third is ambiguity of sexuality which is beyond description in binary categories (ex. homosexual and heterosexual). By introducing narrative, I will discuss how these elements make it difficult for “women” to talk about their sexual orientation and sexual identity.