I've been in Japan for five years, and as far as I've seen in the queer scene, there has not been an official march for trans rights. In 2021, the group TGJP started marching—and this year, they planned for an even bigger event.
This year at Tokyo Trans March there was over 1,000 people and 60 volunteer staff. I was proud to be staff security this year, and I'm looking forward to being boots on the ground next year.
Walking through Shinjuku with hundreds of people, chanting, "trans rights are human rights" to waving passerbys—some with welcoming expressions, some with confused "why do we need to hear this?" expressions, and others ignoring us completely—felt powerful and needed in Japan, where I've seen time after time again conversations about trans rights be shut down or sidelined by people saying, "making special exceptions for a small group of people seems unnecessary..."
I want our voices to be heard. I want to see my friends be able to live their lives; peacefully and happily and as they are.
