From Play to Politics: Unraveling the Shift in Understanding LGBTQ+ Sex in Contemporary Japan
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The rise of LGBTQ+ civil societies is a recent phenomenon in Japan. At first glance, these societies appear to be unnecessary in a nation with a long history of social acceptance, where sex was thought of as a form of play (asobi), rather than as an identity issue. With the formation of LGBTQ+ civil societies in the twenty-first century, identity has become a key factor in promoting LGBTQ+ matters as a human and minority rights issue. This paper examines the role and need for civil societies in the present day, within the broader context of understanding LGBTQ+ issues in Japan. By focusing on a historiography from the Edo Era to the present day I work to understand within what context the shift from play to identity occurred and how a need for civil societies developed. Additionally, I examine 14 civil societies to determine what terminology is being used to promote LGBTQ+ rights and Japan’s understanding of LGBTQ+ identity.
Source: Stanford Digital Repository
DOI: 10.25740/hh623rc7607
Authors: Garza, Isabella, Stanford University, Stanford Global Studies, Center for East Asian Studies, Sneider, Daniel
Language: English
Topic: Gender and Feminist Studies
Subfield: Gender Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6908340897
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