The issue of inclusivity amidst the issue of diversity and acceptance of both is touched on in a new documentary, QUEER JAPAN, focusing on the life and issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community in the Far East country.
It’s been in the works for three years (and development for five) – and director Graham Kolbeins, along with his film-making team, have culled over a hundred interviews which attempt to delve deeper into the wild and perhaps withdrawn world that some in the culture have major concerns about embracing and welcoming into the fold.
We welcome the likes of drag queen Vivienne Sato, erotic manga artist Gengoroh Tagame, butoh dancer Atsushi Matsuda, multimedia artist Nogi Sumiko, HIV+ advocate Hiroshi Hasegawa, activist Akira the Hustler, and transgender author Tomato Hataken, who are more than happy to celebrate their own journeys from their insular existences within the more common ground, where more conventional wisdom has demanded a more straightforward approach to life and direction.
We get a glimpse into the world of graphic art and music, performance variation and a sub-club culture that is only glimpsed and heard through whispers within the whispers – and this is one of many enlightening elements that make QUEER JAPAN a watchable insight into this seemingly misinformed and misunderstood world, with sexual definitions given a platform for greater understanding.
Inevitably, the talk turns to whether there can be change and whether the issue of gender can be embraced in a more general and open context, with people who have classed themselves as different and against their genetic background and the efforts made by those to make things more acceptable to others around them.
Clearly, what most people want on all fronts is a time where everybody is embraced on an equal footing with the issue of civil, human and the rights of sex workers to be given the same platform and plateau, but one suspects that people will find the subculture a bit more rewarding for their own gratification and to retain their individuality in a world were the moral and political needs remain true to an older generation.
So, for the moment until there is a greater belief that things can more much further forward, embrace QUEER JAPAN and celebrate that which is on show.
