Right now, the genre known as “bara” (comics by gay men for gay men) is undergoing a growth phase in Japan and in the West. There are a few manga artists who portray men’s relationships with some sincerity, but generally speaking the majority of same-sex comics are set in not-real places with not-real situations, and there is a very obvious lack of LGBTQ identity among the characters. A few years ago, there was a wave of actual lesbians in manga, and even a few artists talking about same-sex marriage in various ways. Representation for the LGBTQ community goes in waves in entertainment media.
There are still very few lesbian or gay characters in Japanese TV or movies, however-few enough that when there is one, it is notable. TV shows in Japan have embraced a few high-profile LGBTQ people, including trans talents Ai Haruna Kabachan and out lesbian activists, Makimura Asako, Higashi Koyuki and Masahara Hiroko. The state-run TV network NHK had a show on late-night TV called NHK Heart and another, The Rule of R, that will have actual discussions of LGBT issues. Recently, Japanese TV has been slightly more open to the idea of LGBTQ content. So, let’s start with media representation:
That kind of reaction may not be meant as a political or social stance, but it colors a person’s relationship with his or her own existence. What a parent says in relation to a gay theme on a TV show can scar a kid for years, although they themselves forget it.
Many straight people (not just in Japan) have a reaction that goes something like this: “I don’t mind the idea but don’t really want to have to think about it.” Whereas actual gay people (not just in Japan) would very much like to see others like themselves represented in media, in the public sphere, and in business. The perspectives held by straight people and gay people on straight people’s “reactions” to gay people will be significantly different.
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