JAPAN: Prime Minister's wife Akie Abe joins Tokyo Pride Parade as thousands march to show support for the LGBT community

Record ID: 450877

  • Title: JAPAN: Prime Minister's wife Akie Abe joins Tokyo Pride Parade as thousands march to show support for the LGBT community
  • Date: 27th April 2014
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (APRIL 27, 2014) (REUTERS) AKIE ABE, WIFE OF JAPAN PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE, ON BACK OF TRUCK IN TOKYO RAINBOW PRIDE (TRP) PARADE WAVING TRP 2014 PARTICIPANTS MARCHING WAVING BANNERS IN PARADE TRUCK WITH DJ BOOTH AND DANCERS DRIVING DOWN STREET IN TRP PARADE PEOPLE WAVING MORE OF TRP 2014 PARTICIPANTS MARCHING WAVING BANNERS IN PARADE MALE GO GO DANCERS AND DRAG QUEEN ON TRUCK IN TRP PARADE
  • Embargoed: 12th May 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Entertainment,General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA385JMSVSDCM39CNHM60DPXLCE
  • Story Text: The Japanese Prime Minister's wife, Akie Abe, joined thousands in the 3rd annual Tokyo Rainbow Pride (TRP) Parade on Sunday (April 27) as the event has doubled in popularity from last year according to organisers.
    A week-long series of exposure opportunities for the LGBT community, the TRP Parade is its most popular event for the general public.
    Overall events numbers have more than doubled from 23 to 50 as well as parade participants numbering to approximately 3000 peoples, up nearly 1000 from 2013.
    Organisers cite the rapid progress in exposure due to the re-packaging of the TRP message from a kind of human rights demonstration to a Japanese matsuri or festival.
    Rather than forcing the message they seek to create a fun atmosphere in which to soak it up instead.
    "Well, for the short-term to just be aware of the existence of such sexual minorities is the general goal, but rather than push for forcing to understand us, or relate with our struggle we aim for creating an overall generally enjoyable atmosphere that we hope will work to increase exposure (of the LGBT community)," head event organiser for Tokyo Rainbow Pride Week 2014, Fumino Sugiyama, told Reuters.
    But while event attendees may have increased, some members of the LGBT community feel the actual situation of the sexual minorities has not improved much in the last year.
    "Well perhaps more people do know about us (the LGBT community) but the media is still concentrated on negative images which influence the public so overall I don't think the situation (for LGBT) has changed much," Tatsushi Taira, a 27-year-old dancer, said.
    However, as issues of same sex marriage become increasingly known in overseas media some supporters of LGBT rights hope that simply being accepted as the norm is not too far off in the future.
    "It would be nice if in the future members of the LGBT community could in everyday life be afforded the opportunity to have a 'normal' life'. To have a future where the decision to 'come out' or not 'come out' is no longer an issue but rather not something that needs to be considered at all to live one's life," an organiser with the No H8, anti-racism organization, said to Reuters. The woman was unable to release her name due to her company being uncomfortable with her support of the event.
    The Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade is an annual event held the last Sunday in April before the Japanese Golden Week holiday.
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