What do you think when you hear the word LGBT? Everyone’s heard of Shinjuku 2-Chome and onee, but what other images does it conjure up?
In recent years, the term LGBT has become commonly heard in the news. It is often used interchangeably with the term sexual minority.
We wanted to know what kind of image comes to mind when people think of LGBT, so withnews conducted an opinion survey online.
There are two things to take note of when reading the results. First, LGBT refers to only four types of sexual minorities, but in actuality, there are many. And second, This survey was conducted via social media and does not represent the opinion of all Japanese people.
Of the 800 responses collected, approximately 400 respondents identified as LGBT or another sexual minority, 320 identified as non-LGBT or sexual minority, and 80 answered “don’t know”.
The responses revealed several common themes as listed below.
Another factor contributing to the mainstream image of LGBT individuals is the effect of television and variety programs.
There seems to be a prevailing opinion that those who assert their rights and advocate for understanding are bothersome or annoying.
Many respondents expressed caution regarding Japanese corporations purportedly riding the wave of LGBT popularity to boost public relations. It seems that while many corporations have begun to establish support measures for LGBT individuals, the measures don’t always necessarily align with their needs.
There were also many cases where respondents expressed dissatisfaction over how LGBT individuals are portrayed in the media, pointing out a tendency to focus on tragic stories.