“A Tokyo municipal official, the first openly transgender person to seek or win elected office in Japan. She was elected in April 2003. Kamikawa, then a 35-year-old writer, submitted her election application papers with a blank space for “sex.”
She won a four-year term as an independent under huge media attention, placing sixth of 72 candidates running for 52 seats in the Setagaya ward assembly, the most populous district in Tokyo. Despite an announcement that the government would continue to consider her male officially, she stated that she would work as a woman. Her platform was to improve rights for women, children, the elderly, the handicapped, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
In April 2007, she was re-elected to her second term, placing second of 71 candidates running for 52 in the same ward assembly. She is the only openly transgender official in Japan at this point.” xx
Ai Haruna (はるな愛)
Ai Haruna is a singer, actress, and businesswoman. Growing up she experienced a lot of pain and hardship due to the ignorance of her parents and Japanese society as a whole. However, this didn’t stop her from living out her childhood dream of becoming an idol and tv-personality. xx
Kayo Satoh (佐藤かよ)
She is a fashion model and particularly famous in the fighting game community. She was born in Nagoya and after she graduated middle school she ran away from home because of the pain she experienced in a society that didn’t understand her. That night, she went to her childhood friend’s house, who lent her clothes that suited her. She then worked at a convenience store, and 4 years later she got a job as a clerk at a women’s clothing store. Soon after, she was scouted by a modeling agency which she still works for. x
“a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, as well as being an author and actress. She is most recognised for her song ‘Tomodachi no Uta’, which was used as the theme song for the drama Watashi ga Watashi de Aru Tame ni (in which she also appeared as an actress). She’s also known for being one of the few openly [transgender] celebrities in Japan, having been [assigned male at birth], and has spoken of the struggles she underwent with issues of identity before transitioning. In 2006, she signed to popular record label avex trax, and in 2010 moved to Yamaha Music Communications.” xx
If you would like to help us spread the word about the anthology or have opportunities to advertise at your organization/institution, we have good news! We’ve made page-size posters that should be easy to print out using any black and white or grayscale printer. You’re free to print these out and put them up anywhere you want – at your school, neighborhood, etc. (The figures of women in the posters have been edited from cutouts and drawings by Matisse.)
Download links for five posters (PDF): 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
On this Transgender Day of Remembrance I think it’s really important for
the trans community to keep intersectionality in mind, especially those
who are CAFAB and/or white. So often violence against trans women of
colour is co-opted and used as a prop by less marginalized members of
the trans community, and we need to prioritize the majority of victims
and survivors this day is supposed to be about, and who needs to have
the loudest voice when it comes to arranging TDOR events and activism:
trans women of colour.
We also need to look toward the new year, and how we take the message of TDOR into the rest of our interactions and community-building as trans people. Every single trans person, especially those in positions of privilege, needs to make it their intent to honor the value and contributions of trans women and black and indigenous trans people of colour in life, at every opportunity. We cannot allow the most vulnerable members of our community continue to go underrepresented and under-valued, we cannot allow them to be tone-policed and forced out of transgender spaces for refusing to submit to transmisogyny and white supremacy. We need to create spaces for leadership and consultation for trans women of colour, and many of us need to take a step back and assess the space we take up. Assess whether we could be making room for others who need a voice, or at least use our platforms to prioritize and amplify other voices.
The couples speak to the daily experience of living at the crossroads of being black and identifying as LGBT. Together or separate, these two groups carry the burden of societal implications that stem from ignorance and assumptions. Milan shares that his mother was fearful that he would not find love – a common concern among loved ones of those in the trans community, he said.
Hey! Are you a female or non-binary artist of color? Want to get to know more artists like you and share your art (while immersed in a fun, laidback, and welcoming community? :) If so, check out Melanin Collective! We’re a group of nb/female artists of color who showcase all kinds of art via our tumblr (melanincollective).
Super exciting: we’re currently working on our 1st print zine, and so we’re (1) putting out a call for submissions by January 21 and (2) fundraising to have it printed; you can find a link to our gofundme on our tumblr!
Thanks a lot, happy 2015, and we hope to hear from any of you artists out there soon!
This is a casting call for a paid role. Check below the “Read More” line for the actual casting call. Please help us spread the word!
Watching our own pilot, something became apparent. While our show has POC actors, all were of lighter complexion, and we hadn’t created space for actors with darker skin tones. That meant we weren’t creating a show that our whole audience could see themselves in. That didn’t sit right.
Addie is a new role that we’ve added to the show. They’re a genderqueer POC (of darker complexion). At the start of the show, Addie and Su work together. Su moves on, but their lives intersect every once in a while.
Addie has a scene early on where they’re still presenting as a man, but in subsequent scenes are living out as a genderqueer / non-binary femme. Their role in the first season is limited, but their story stretches into future seasons.
Our casting call is below the “Read More” line. Please help us spread the word! This is an important opportunity for QTPOC actors!
