Tokyo Olympics sexual minority announced athletes are the highest ever

At the Tokyo Olympics, attention was focused on sexual diversity, with the number of athletes announcing sexual minorities being the highest ever.

In Japan, where delays in efforts have been pointed out internationally, we watched over the activities of the parties who wanted to start broadening their understanding.

There are no 583 Japanese national team players who have announced that they are sexual minorities at the Tokyo Games, but as of the 11th, there are 183 overseas players in 29 countries and regions, or 56. It's more than three times as much as the previous tournament.

At the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, players from multiple countries such as Argentina acted as the flag bearers, and a British player who announced that he was gay and jumped into a high-ranking men's synchro was active in winning a gold medal at the competition venue. It became a hot topic with the appearance of knitting.

For the first time in the Olympics, New Zealand weightlifting athletes participated as transgender athletes whose minds and bodies do not match, and the parties in Japan also watched the competition.

For the first time in this competition, the exchange base for sexual minority parties set up at the venue became an official program.

At "Pride House Tokyo Legacy," which was established in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo as an exchange base, messages sent by the athletes involved are displayed, about 2000 related books are placed, and there are exchange spaces and consultation booths. It is provided.

Before the opening of the festival, there was a series of interviews with overseas media, and there was interest in the current situation in Japan.

In Japan, there was a move to enact a bill to promote understanding of sexual minorities before the Tokyo convention, but the LDP did not agree and submitted it to the Diet.

According to a survey by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Japan does not have a law that allows same-sex marriage or prohibits discrimination, and when changing the gender of a family register, it requires sex reassignment surgery. It ranks 34th, the second from the bottom, out of 35 countries.

"Incredibly proud"

British synchro high diving player Tom Daley has announced that he is gay.

After winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Daily said, "When I was young, I was lonely and unfamiliar with society, and because I was gay, I thought I couldn't be the kind of person society wanted. I thought I couldn't, but now that I'm a gold medalist, I'm incredibly proud to say, "I'm gay and an Olympic gold medalist."

He then sent a yell to the younger parties, saying, "No matter how lonely I feel now, I am not alone and I can accomplish anything. I have many friends who can help you."

New Zealand national team Laurel Hubbard was the first transgender player to identify himself as a transgender player whose mind and body do not match.

The IOC has stipulated in the guidelines that it is possible to participate if the male hormone level is below a certain standard, and Hubbard who meets this condition participated in the weightlifting women's class over 87 kg.

Some people said that this was "unfair," and there was debate even before the opening.

After the competition, Hubbard said, "I just wanted to be" myself "all the time. I'm very happy to have this opportunity. Someone who I'm doing here I hope to give you the courage. "

And, "I don't think my participation should be a historic event. I hope it will be a new world where people like me can understand that nothing is different from others. I hope. "

Overseas media also show high interest

Overseas media are also showing great interest in the current situation and issues surrounding sports and sexual minorities, and since June, the exchange base "Pride House Tokyo Legacy" has been visited by 35 media in Japan and overseas nearly 50 times in total. There was an interview.

In mid-July, Brazil's largest television station visited to cover the current state of sexual minorities in Japan on a news program.

In Brazil, a large-scale sexual minority parade is being held, and the public's interest is high, so the interview crew immediately interviewed Pride House the day after the 14-day quarantine period after entering the country to prevent infection. It is said that he visited.

A male reporter said that same-sex marriage is not permitted by law in Japan, saying, "Japan is at the forefront of various aspects such as technology, but we are behind in this field and we are ahead. I know. I hope to convey this situation and improve the situation surrounding the Japanese parties as much as possible. "

In the video delivered by Reuters, which also covered Pride House, the current situation is that the law is not being developed in Japan, such as the fact that the law to promote understanding was not submitted to the Diet in June before the opening. While this tournament is most open to sexual minorities, it highlights Japan's challenges.

Tokyo Tournament An opportunity to change the current situation in Japan

Participants who have been working to broaden their understanding in Japan have expressed their desire to use the Tokyo Games as an opportunity to change the current situation in Japan.

Fumino Sugiyama, who became the first transgender director of the JOC = Japanese Olympic Committee and is also involved in the management of the Pride House, has been involved in sports as a former representative of Japan for fencing.

Mr. Sugiyama was born with a female gender, but his mental gender was male, and he liked sports since he was a child. increase.

When I was in junior high school, I started fencing because the uniforms were the same for both men and women, and even though I was selected as a representative of Japan for girls, I retired at the age of 25, saying "I can't be myself."

After that, Mr. Sugiyama, who decided to live as a man, said, "In the sports world, men and women are clearly separated, and in the male society, the words" Are you crazy? " I couldn't say with anxiety that I would run out of space if I was known to be a sexual minority. "

Mr. Sugiyama said that the situation of Japanese society as a whole is reflected in the sports world as well. I think there is a reality that has happened. I think that the Olympics have led to a common understanding that there are various problems, so I think it is an important start from here on how to improve. " rice field.

Some people were interested in participating in transgender players

Some parties were interested in the Olympics for the first time when they learned that transgender athletes would participate.

Shun Dialogue, who is the manager of a bar in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, felt uncomfortable about being a man since he was in elementary school, and gradually began to live as a woman in high school.

In school life, bullying and harassment from classmates and teachers are constant, and in addition to the school rules that men and women have different uniforms and short hair, physical education divided into men and women was also very painful.

Even if I leave my hometown and start working in Tokyo, every day I get yelled at the roadside and laughed at me, and when I walk around the city, I feel like I'm running away. I started walking.

I had no good memories of sports and had no interest in the Olympics until now, but I was hoping to find out that Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand, who is the same transgender woman as me, will participate this time.

Shun said, "I thought the Olympics were an event that I couldn't get involved with. Being a transgender person, I had to give up various things, so I lived as a true self and lived in the world. I am encouraged by the fighting Hubbard players. Of course I wish I could win, but I hope you enjoy yourself. "

And on the 2nd of this month, I watched the competition of Hubbard at Pride House Tokyo Legacy, the exchange base of the parties.

The result ended without a record, but Shun said, "I was disappointed with the result, but at the end I felt that it was a lively, most personal smile in my life. There were criticisms and yells from the parties. I think I felt the weight of the game, but I was impressed that I was able to compete in the same way as other players. However, I think it surely empowered various people. "