{"id":10,"date":"2019-02-14T10:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-02-14T01:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.call4.jp\/story\/?p=10"},"modified":"2021-03-18T18:11:11","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T09:11:11","slug":"25%e5%b9%b4%e3%82%92%e7%b5%8c%e3%81%a6%e3%81%9d%e3%82%8c%e3%81%a7%e3%82%82%e3%81%aa%e3%81%8a%e3%80%81%e4%bb%8a%e3%81%a0%e3%81%8b%e3%82%89%e3%81%93%e3%81%9d%e5%a3%b0%e3%82%92%e4%b8%8a%e3%81%92%e3%82%8b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/160.251.177.195\/storyen\/?p=10","title":{"rendered":"The time has come \u2013 challenge after a twenty-five year struggle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Story of a couple, Yoko and Chizuka<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yoko\u2019s Story \u2013 1970s<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I was a teenager, my future was hopeless. Every day, I made a wish, hoping that time would pass by quickly,\u201d Yoko Ogawa says when she reflects upon her youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought I had a disease. I referenced an encyclopedia in search of a description of my \u2018condition\u2019, and I stumbled upon the word \u2013 \u2018abnormal sexuality\u2018. I never thought that somebody existed like me. The only future I could imagine for myself was to grow old and die alone.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter a while, I met a lesbian community. They were the ones who saved me. \u2018You are not alone, Yoko\u2019 they said to me. \u2018We understand you. We are your mates. We are your friends. And there are even more of us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoko, 55 years old now, has been living for 20 or so years together with her partner Chizuka Ooe, 58. They also have a parrot who is over 20 years old, just like their love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Everyday life \u2013 from 1990s<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have been partners for 25 years, and living together for 20 some years\u201d \u2013 this is how they introduce themselves. Why can\u2019t they just say that they are the couple celebrating a silver wedding anniversary? \u2013 Because they don\u2019t have a \u2018wedding\u2019 date to sign the license. Their partnership is not legal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meeting through the lesbian community, they started seeing each other 25 years ago. Since then, they have been always together. When Chizuka switched her career from a manufacturer to cable-TV provider, when Yoko switched from a seeds and seedling company; they went through the transition period together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow we are working in the same office, for a counseling and support service center. Sometimes it\u2019s hard to stay together, day and night. Occasionally we have small quarrels,\u201d Yoko laughs as she confesses the struggles all couples share in their daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past 25 years, they have been a two-earning couple, partly because they felt that it was the best way to acknowledge one another as equal. However, \u201cafter 25 years, we changed our way of thinking; we decided that perhaps we don\u2019t have to be precisely equal with regard to household labor or financial support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from their weekly jobs, they run the community for lesbians and bisexual women \u2013 LOUD (Lesbians of Undeniable Drive). \u201cLOUD already became a critical part of our lives. More than 100,000 (total) have visited us over 20 years,\u201d they say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We interviewed them at LOUD. It is a comfortable place, lined with shelves of books on the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chizuka\u2019s Story \u2013 2000s<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Yoko, Chizuka embraced her sexual orientation from an early age. Yet she still had difficulty coming out as a lesbian to her family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was in one of the family gatherings on the New Year\u2019s Eve, about 10 years ago. Some relative started criticizing my sexual orientation, saying that I was an \u2018lamed\u2019 because I was a lesbian unable to marry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought I was confident enough to say \u2018nothing is wrong with me\u2019 or \u2018I don\u2019t have any reason to apologise for who I am\u2019. For over 40 years, I\u2019ve been proud of myself. Yet at the last moment in facing my family and relatives, I found myself in justifying myself. I couldn\u2019t stop crying. I was nervous, frustrated, and disappointed. I knew that they had no right to deny the value of my life, but they did. It was painful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I looked at my father, he clenched his fists tightly, and and he lowered his eyes with a blush. He couldn\u2019t say a word. I was continuously crying, trying to explain my sexual orientation, wanting to come back and stay with Yoko to celebrate the coming year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA few days later, I saw my father again. He said, \u2018I\u2019m sorry I couldn\u2019t stand by you.\u2019 \u2013 that was the point that I understood how he felt. If I myself had difficulty explaining who I am, I thought, it might be more difficult for him to explain on my behalf,\u201d says Chizuka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is just one example. Just because we are a lesbian couple, we need to undergo so many unpleasant things,\u201d they say. \u201cBut this is what\u2019s happening in the society. What we underwent is what the society is undergoing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chizuka used to pretend to be heterosexual at work. At a certain point, she quit pretending. \u201cEncouraged by her lesbian friends and community, I started to think, \u201c\u2019I want to be myself, this is me; there is nothing to hide\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really feel grateful for those who encouraged me. This is the reason why I started to be involved in the activities to support LGBTQs. I want to know what I could do in return,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yoko\u2019s struggle – 2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For 25 years, Japan has undergone a huge social change regarding  how to become inclusive. \u201cIt has become easier to find out information. But still, many people find it difficult to live as they are,\u201d says Yoko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne day, I received a call from a teenage girl. She said she wanted to die. I talked to her, using exactly the same words that someone said to me over 40 years ago, \u2018I know what you feel. It feels so lonely. But bear in mind that you are not alone. We understand you. We are your mates. We are your friends. And there are even more of us. You don\u2019t need to die.\u2019 So she didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoko and Chizuka were the first couple to registered under the partnership certificate in Nakano municipality. Because they have come out publicly, people god to them seeking their advice. But they themselves are the ones who struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA few years ago, I was sick and about to be hospitalized. Staff members at the hospital asked me if I was living with a family. I was so sick and couldn\u2019t explain about Chizuka. In the end, I gave up staying at the hospital. That was tough. If I had partnership certificate, it would have been easier,\u201d she reflects the pain she went through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving a partnership certificate is delightful, but it\u2019s not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certificate at municipality doesn\u2019t guarantee the same rights that are entitled by law. Same-sex couple can\u2019t inherit, nor capture a tax benefit, social security, or division of property. They are offered fewer options of insurance or welfare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoko and Chizuka have been a two-earning couple not just because they chose to be, but also because it was necessary for them to live a financially secure life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cLet\u2019s start the discussion on the family\u201d by Chizuka <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat will happen in a time of disaster?\u201d worries Chizuka. \u201cWe won\u2019t be allowed to go to the same evacuation shelter, because we are not considered as one household. This shows how we are not guaranteed legal status.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe existing system has benefits, even though it\u2019s not perfect,\u201d Chizuka states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe marriage system has many internal problems. We are still tied to the feudalistic family system of the past. And the big problem is gender inequality. The current law differentiates women from men by marriageable age (though this will change in the future). Only women need to wait for remarriage for 100 days. As Japan doesn\u2019t allow dual-surnames, for most couples women change their surnames. So many things remain unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome say, same-sex marriage is against the \u2018beautiful Japanese family\u2019. Is is completely nonsense to standardize the family. Every couple should be different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDiscussion on same-sex marriage will shed light on some problems within the marriage system. We can also start discussing gender inequality and dual-surname.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This lawsuit not only illustrates the problems of LGBTQs, but also those of whole family in Japan. The history of Japanese society means the history of family in Japan. We need to face the fact that there is nothing like a \u2018standardized trendy Suzuki family\u2019 in Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt will become common to have the lawsuits like this\u201d by Yoko \u2013 2019 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe problem is that we are not even given the options of whether we want to be married or not,\u201d says Yoko. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the 14th of February, the first lawsuit in Japan started, seeking the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. This case is filed against the national government, claiming that not recognizing same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. A rallying call is \u2018Marriage for All\u2019. Plaintiffs include 13 couples from Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya and Osaka. Yoko and Chizuka decided to join \u201cbecause unless we raise our voice, nothing will change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf this lawsuit had happened 25 years ago, we would probably join. But we feel that the time is just right. We are now in our 50s and this is going to be our last challenge,\u201d says Yoko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure if same-sex marriage will be legalized in our lifetime. Some says it\u2019s not possible. But we never know what will happen. More and more people are starting to follow us. By calling for action, the team will be bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the US, the first lawsuit seeking the right to same-sex marriage began in 1971. It was not until June of 2015 that the Supreme Court finally ruled that the prohibition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

 \u201cHoping for a bright future – 25 years later\u201d by Chizuka \u2013 2040s<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe always felt like we needed to make an extra effort in order to be liked by others,\u201d says Chizuka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted to be accepted. Even now, we still want to be accepted. Yoko is involved in many local activities and goes out of her way to help others. When it snows, she shovels the paths of all the others in the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are tired.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve also been busy and involved in various activities supporting LGBTQs. I just wanted to slow down, spend more time with Yoko, or  invest time in my hobbies. When I decided to join this lawsuit, I thought \u2013 Ok, this is going to be my last action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only thing I want to say now is \u2013 I want to see what the court will decide. It may take some time, and we will be in a turbulent storm. Or perhaps we already are. We need to keep going. I want to observe what\u2019s happening in this turbulent era. Hopefully something will change in our lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn the corner of the streets in Tokyo,\u201d Chizuka starts to project into the future, \u201ca boy and a girl are talking to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Hey I got married last month,\u2019 a boy says. The girl reacts, \u2018What a wonderful thing! Whom did you marry? To a boy or a girl?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018A boy! By the way, did you know this \u2013 not too long ago, same-sex marriage was forbidden in Japan!\u2019 says the boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018No way! Brutal! I don\u2019t believe you!\u2019 says the girl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is already possible in some countries. One Dutch senator told me that in the Netherlands, some teenagers don\u2019t even know that there was a time in their country\u2019s history when same-sex marriage was forbidden. The time will surely come when same-sex marriage is just as common as opposite-sex marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

interviewer\u30fbwriter\uff0fYuko Haraguchi\uff08\u539f\u53e3\u4f91\u5b50\uff09
photo\uff0fOoki Jingu\uff08\u795e\u5bae\u5de8\u6a39\uff09<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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