日本文化 ４年
Thank you for your presentation. I’m pleased to see you again. Your way of speaking is very wonderful. When I listened to your speech, I thought that the problem which LGBT people have is common to everyone. We each have weak points and I don’t have confidence ? this is my weak point. If our parents and our friends attacked us for this point, we would get very sad. I’m timid, but my family and mt friends love me, accepting my weak point. Therefore, I’m confident in myself. LGBTs appear in society, but we can imagine and understand them as ourselves. When I listened to your speech, I could think of this idea. Thank you very much.

英米　２年
Thank you so much for sharing so much of your life story and time to help people. It is sad and disappointing to see this addiction of society to label and box everything, even people, and unfortunately some are seen as less than others. This cannot continue to be our reality, people need to be seen simply as people, no one less than the other. We are not all the same, but we are one.

英米　３年
I never heard the word, “Othering”, but it has a negative meaning that I did not expect. When I was in Canada, there was a big LGBTQ party, and many of my Asian friends and I were interested in it, so we decided to participate in it. Then, we found many people having gender diversity and they looked so happy and free. I was really surprised because I did not know there are so many people who are LGBTQ. I thought of this episode in my mind by hearing YO-YO-Ma’s words. “Good things happen when you meet strangers.” For me, it was good to know how diverse this world is, and I could know it by meeting strangers.

フランス　１年
Thank you for your presentation. I think you have a very special point of view because of the situation you experienced, and I think that allows people to understand a little bit more how to become more inclusive with people who might be a little bit different from ourselves. In the end, they are people too and we should accept them and appreciate them for who they are.

スペイン　２年
Thank you for your presentation and I learned the word “ally” and thought we should be allies. It was very good idea that there is no “other”. I also think there is lack of acceptance for LGBT and foreign people in Japan. On many Japanese TV programs, sometimes talents kid these people. In my high school, there was a teacher who had a heart of a woman. We accepted her in my school, but he(she) was bullied in another school. I was so sorry when I heard that. Japanese society should accept and understand people who are LGBTQ, foreign people, Ainu, and Okinawas. I am not LGBTQ but I accept them. However, I really don’t “support” them now. So, I’ll try to share the information and understand more.

スペイン　２年
Thank you for your talk. I almost cried when you said that the day your daughter came out is the happiest day, because I can imagine how hard it was for your daughter. The LGBT+ community is kind of new for me and I guess for Japan, so it’s difficult for people to understand and sometimes it’s scary for me to talk about them. So, I’m afraid if I will hurt them or do something rude. As you said, lack of information leads to hurting other people and that is the last thing I want for that community. It might take a long time for society to fully understand them, but I’ll do my best to try to know them and always welcome them as who they are - a person just like me.

ドイツ　２年
LGBTQ+ issues are something that we all have to think about more and be aware of. I felt so warm when you said that you were very happy that your daughter came out to you about her gender. In this society, many people still can’t admit some diversities like LGBTQ+. But what you and your daughter’s grandmother felt and said to her was wonderful and amazing. I can say that that helped your daughter very much. I felt from my heart that I can be like you and can say such warm words to all people, because we are all “us”.

教育福祉　３年
I think today’s presentation makes me imagine what we can do for LGBT people. So, many students asked, “What should we do first?” when someone comes out about their gender. Since when I was in junior high school, I heard the term “LGBT” and every lecture about it concludes, “We need to be ready to accept LGBT.” I think it is easy to say that, but I really do not know what I should care for LGBT to live comfortably. LGBT people express their opinions like what they think. The society should change for them. That leads to understanding about LGBT people and we can think what we can do for them.

社会福祉　２年
Thank you for your wonderful presentation. I think surely there is discrimination against sexual minorities. Most of us think we are in the majority. But it is incorrect. The boundaries between the majority and minority are not real in the first place. It is always in our consciousness. To the extreme, if we were to completely eliminate the sense of discrimination, discrimination would disappear. However, it is very difficult because people don’t change their minds easily. To solve the problem, in my opinion, we have to change the system. Because when systems are changed, people tend to get to change their minds. For example, making a law which enables people to marry a person of the same sex.

留学生
Thanks a lot for your talk, it was definitely my favorite one so far. I think “othering” is a very dangerous mechanic and I criticized a previous speaker for suggesting that there is “the Japanese” and “the Filipino” mindset. I am from Germany and luckily we learn a lot about the othering of the Nazis. Unfortunately, it’s making a comeback with rising anti-semitism and especially anti-muslimism. A few years back this shattered my until them teleological and distorted view, that the world is slowly getting better and better. From my experience and what I read, Japan has a lot of work to do in terms of all kinds of tolerance, or self-acceptance. As I am studying cultural studies in Germany, this exchange is very interesting for me. In the few discussions I had I found a lot of unawareness, so thank you for your work! Also, I liked the inclusion of yourself in “Society discriminates, we discriminate.” And lastly: what a family story and what a supportive way to talk about it! A warning: if and when I want to come back to Japan after graduating in two years I might contact you. Because of your great work and because of your love for NPR podcasts.