Trans Influencers Promote Acceptance In Asia
The trans community in Asia is becoming more visible, with icons becoming famous online and using their positions to spread awareness of the trans community.
Japanese architect Kaede Sari is fighting to spread awareness about trans people and change society’s perspective of trans people as entertainment.
She released the documentary based on her life, You Decide, in July 2020, to spread awareness about trans people in Japan. The documentary was available in select theaters and on Netflix Japan.
“I have continued to disseminate information, especially to students and families, as well as corporate employers and personnel,” said Sari in a statement to the Washington Blade. “However, society is still in the process of change. Some Transgender people may not be able to come out depending on their position. I want to tell them, ‘You don’t have to come out until the environment is ready. Until we change the whole society, please find a reliable person (to whom you) can come out. And please be a person that is trusted to receive the coming out of many people.’”
The trans community has been an integral and accepted part of Japanese culture since the Edo period from 1603-1868. In the late 1800s, Japan moved from a country that accepted gender fluidity to one that adopted the perceived Western gender binary norms. The trans community in Japan now faces regular humiliation, misunderstanding, and discrimination.
In Japan, a person has to show their ID, which usually has a gender identity marker, when accessing education, health, transportation, and other services. Authorities can ask invasive questions if a trans person’s picture doesn’t match the information on the ID card.
Sari came out just before she began to look for employment. Sari said her trans friends either dropped out of school or decided not to come out.
“In Asia, many countries, including Japan, are conservative in change, and policies for LGBT [people] are spreading only in limited areas,” said Sari. “There are two steps to changing those who disagree with LGBT. ‘The stage of understanding LGBT’ and ‘the stage of accepting LGBT.’ I think we are in the stage of understanding now, so please get the correct knowledge.”
Similarly, trans cultural icons in China are fighting hard to change the narrative and situation inside the country and abroad.
Fan Popo, a Chinese filmmaker and LGBTQ+ and intersex activist, is changing attitudes about the country’s trans community through films and documentaries.
Popo is known for Mama Rainbow, a documentary which has inspired many LGBTQ+ and intersex people in China. The film, shared online in China, started a public discussion about the queer community. It has, however, disappeared from Youku, Tudou, 56.com, and other popular Chinese streaming services.
Popo launched a legal battle with China’s State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and the fight resulted in a partial victory in 2015 and continues to make LGBTQ+-focused films to spread awareness in China.
Popo moved to Germany in 2017 and is now working on a film. While talking with the Blade, he said the film is important for him as he feels he didn’t do enough for the queer community, and he wants to contribute more to the community in the coming years.
“Ever since I moved to Germany, I have been facing systematic racism. There are little resources are available for people of color,” said Popo. “What my colleagues in China have to face is also impacting me, so this makes me feel frustrated and unsafe. Another difficulty that I am facing right now is traveling back to China because of restrictions.”
In India, the trans community and traditional Indian culture have close ties. But things changed once the British colonized the country.
Section 377 of India’s colonial-era penal code criminalized homosexuality in 1861. In 2018, the Indian Supreme Court struck out the law but more than 200 years of British colonial rule pushed Indian society to become discriminatory against trans people.
Trans icons in the country are using their social media platforms to create a positive impact on society.
Indian model, actor, singer, drag queen, and motivational speaker Sushant Divgikar, who won Mr. Gay India in 2014, has 1.8 million Instagram followers. Divgikar has been spreading awareness about the country’s trans community.
“The Transgender community has shared a very beautiful status in the context of Indian cultural history in the pre-colonial area. After things changed because the British had very narrow-minded thoughts on the queer community. They talk about how the British divided and ruled the country based on caste, but they do not talk about how British rule divided the country based on gender diversity,” Divgikar told the Blade. “Over the past 16 and half years, I have been performing as a drag queen, actor, model, and motivational speaker, so of course, it has been a roller coaster ride, but I have never imagined this anything else. If I had not struggled this much, I would not have known what I have today and what I did not have.”
Since 2012, Divgikar has appeared on many TV shows. They have also been using Instagram to talk about the queer community and start a public discussion. Divgikar has inspired many fans with their inspirational posts and stories. Divgikar in 2020 appeared on Forbes 30 under 30 list.
“At the time when people were not ready to talk about their orientation, I was on TV, risking my life because I used to get death threats, I used to get rape threats. When I was younger, I used to get frustrated because of threats, but now I feel bad for them,” they said. “They are the ones who really need a big hug and some therapy. I don’t mind paying for their therapy.”
While talking with the Blade, Divgikar said trans Indians feel represented when they see them on big stages. Divgikar feels pride in representing every Asian, and especially trans Indians, on the world stage.
“When you harm another person, you are not just harming that person,” said Divgikar while talking about hate crimes against the trans community in Asia. “You are killing the whole humanity.”
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