Final Research Report

Creating ibasho for LGBT people and SNS

My starting story and interests

When I was about 5 years old, I went to kindergarten. There is no uniforms, so I would go there every day wearing the clothes I had at home. My mother chosen the clothes I'm coming to that day. She often chosen me skirts. And my friends in kindergarten wear skirts a lot. Actually I want to waer pants, but I couldn't do. My parents wanted me to wear a skirt. There was a tendency that girls should be like girls. Then, I have a question. Why girls can't wear pants a lot? After a while, when I was junior high school student, I found that Kemio and Ryuchel（りゅうちぇる）. they are influencers who are not gender. They live a life that does not abandon their individuality. They affirm it. I noticed that I can live my own way, seeing their way of life. Then, I love expressing myself with clothes. At the same time, I realized that it is still difficult to express own gender. From there, I wanted to know more about LGBT people. And, I have a question " How can we create a society that is easy to live in for all?". Also, if I look at their SNS, they often mention gender. I also found that when I was aware of this, many of them were saying about their sexuality and the beauty of living in a society that does not hide their sexuality. From this, I became interested in what institutions are in place and incorporated in society regarding LGBTQ.

This is kemio's YouTube. He is an influential figure, especially among young people, who are attracted by his unique remarks, positive words, fashion sense, and way of life.

My friend's story

I have a lesbian friend. She is open about her sexuality and that she has a same-sex partner, both in real life and on SNS. One day I saw a video she posted on TikTok that was getting a lot of buzz. It also received a lot of positive comments.

What I think?

The first time I learned about LGBT was on SNS. It was also through SNS that I realized that it was okay not to be a girl. I think that SNS may be "Ibasho" for LGBT people to be.

Why is "Ibasho" important for LGBTQ?

What is "Ibasho"?

First of all, I thought about Ibasho for me. In addition to places where I felt safe and at home, such as my room or time with good friends, I thought that social places such as college or my part-time job were also included in my place of residence.

According to a report by Ritsumeikan University, not only a specific place, but also a space where people can get a positive sense of security, self-esteem, and belonging has come to be called a place of residence. In other words, we can see that there are two types of "Ibasho". The first is a place that represents a social position, and the second is a place where one can feel a sense of security.

"Ibasho" in workplace

I will start by looking at social "Ibasho". Specifically, I want to focus on the workplace. According to Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 36% of LGB people think that there are difficulties in workplace. 54% of transgender people think that there are difficulties in workplace（自認する性別と異なる性別で振る舞わなければならないこと、異性愛者として振る舞わなければならないこと）. The international signature campaign "Equality Act Japan- 日本にもLGBT平等法を -" started in October 2020, calling for the wnactment of the "LGBT Equality Law（LGBT平等法）" LGBT法連合会, ヒューマン・ライツ・ウォッチ, アスリート・アライ have started first. But LGBT Equality law can't establish in Japan yet.

Attempt in UK

In the UK, equality law Act established in 2010. イギリスではセクシャルマイノリティに限らず、人種や障害などの差別を禁止する平等法が制定されました。平等法とは、ハラスメント、直接差別の禁止が含まれます。

Direct discrimination

性的嗜好に基づいて不採用とすること
解雇を行うこと
昇進を拒否すること
不利な労働条件を提供すること

Attempt in the UK company

Training
Working conditions（労働条件）,福利厚生制度の見直し
Employee community

上記で示したリンクにはイギリスで働くレズビアンの女性のエピソードが書かれています。The story teaches me the importance of making community. Then, I thought Employee community is the most important rule for LGBT people.

"Ibasho" in Foster parents system

Can same-sex couples be foster parents? Under the low, same-sex couples are allowed to be foster parents. However there are original criteria for certification as a foster parent in local government. In addition, many people also believe that they are not legally allowed to become foster parents in Japan due to the lack of recognition of same-sex marriage and lack of interest in foster care. So I think that we need to recognize that the foster care system is diverse. Along with that, we must not forget that the children are diverse, as well as the foster parents. "Rainbow Foster Care" is as a link between LGBT and children in need of social support. They provide from the perspective of both foster parents and children. They are undertaking a variety of initiatiives to help them achieve this role. For example, training, event, research, survey,政策提言 and so on. In result, they can make diverse adults diverse children and diverse family.

What I found

I found there are Ibasho or attempt for making Ibasho. But many people don't know their system enough. So Ibasho for safe palace. In fact, we saved mentally in many ways by having a place where we feel safe. However LGBT people are fewer place than not LGBT people. I think all of people should feel safe. Based on these current conditions and what my lesbian friend has told me, I wondered if SNS could be used as Ibasho.

The reality of Ibasho

I looked at how much LGBT people actually need a place to stay. 社会包摂サポートセンター conducted a survey of sexual minority people. The table below shows the results of survey on whether or not there is someone close to them that they can talk to.

As can be seen from the table, 48.2 % of all respondents said they have no one close to them with whom they can consult.

Men in particular are more likely than women to have no one to talk to.

※Period covered: April 1, 2017 - January 31, 2018

Target area: Japan

Condition: 1,000 cases were randomly selected from

3,646 cases after removing gender and age

unknown.

X" is a consultant who does not fit into the two categories of female (F) or male (M).

Interview to my friend

I interviewed the friend I mentioned earlier about how she makes LBGQ＋ friends. She said she only makes LGBTQ friends on SNS. She said she met people on SNS and her circle grew from there.She also said she has never been subjected to the often-discussed SNS bullying or criticism of LGBTQ people.

Based on this story and my previous research, I felt that SNS have a high probability of being a place for LGBTQ people. I felt that they use SNS more frankly than we do on it to connect with friends who share our interests and the same mindset.

My Question

How many LGBTQ＋ people use the SNS reality?
Can SNS really be a Ibasho to be?
What is the approach of the SNS platform side? / How do LGBTQ＋ people use the SNS?

Acutual value

The Pew Research Center in the United States has found that LGBTQ+ youth spend 45 minutes longer online each day than non-LGBTQ+ youth. The study also found that among youth who use SNS, 19% of non-LGBTQ+ have at least one close online friend, while 50% of LGBTQ+ youth have a close friend.

According to Center for the study of social policy

posted by Posted on July 10, 2019 by Rebecca Torrence

This is not just my story—it’s the story of thousands of LGBTQ+ youth across the world. Studies show that queer youth use the Internet to explore their sexual and gender identities, connect with other LGBTQ+ users, and validate their experiences. The Internet is a critical part of queer youths’ journey toward understanding who they are and solidifying self-acceptance.

Many social media platforms offer a sense of anonymity that allows queer youth to express themselves without fear of retribution. In one study, 73% of LGBTQ+ youth reported being more honest online than in real life. This culture of authenticity that the Internet cultivates enables queer youth to engage meaningfully with communities of people who share their identities. GLSEN released a study showing that two-thirds of LGBTQ+ youth reported using online platforms to connect with other LGBTQ+ people in the past year.

This shows that SNS have become a place for LGBTQ+ youth to share their identities.

According to WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY

Young people in Questioning say they use SNS while avoiding stigma. Specifically, they block certain people and manage their own profiles.

However, THE CONVERSATION article shows that they are three times more likely to be harassed online than straight or cisgender people.

This means that social media platforms need to protect them from harassment and other harm.

What is the approach of the SNS platform side? / How do LGBTQ＋ people use the SNS?

Facebook LGBTQ＋コミュニティのためのFacebook・Instagram安全ガイド

This guidelines, posted by Facebook, are designed for the LGBTQ+ community. It includes an introduction to features for safe use of the SNS, such as the block and mute functions, how to set them up, and how influencers are actually using those features effectively. This section mainly introduces functions for self-protection.

I feel it is very important to defend yourself when using SNS. No matter who you are. However, I believe it is not enough. For example, if a SNS user is bullied on a SNS, is it the victim's fault for not defending himself or herself? Is it the victim's fault? I believe the problem lies with the perpetrator. This guideline is a safety guide that provides information on the plus points of using SNS, but in addition to this, I believe that social networking platforms need to have a system to take some kind of action against those who slander on SNS.

Pronoun（プロナウン）

pronoun=代名詞

Publicizing pronoun on social networking sites can avoid gender perception that differs from the person's own self-identification (misgendering). There is a movement among cisgender and straight people to use pronouncing their gender identity. The effect of having all people declare their pronoun is to standardize the fact that pronoun differ from person to person, to avoid assumptions, and to make it easier for non-binary people to declare their pronoun.

In fact, there has been a movement to publicly declare pronoun in real-life settings other than SNS.

At a university in London, there is a movement to have students wear a badge appropriate to their pronoun when they enroll.（According to YouTube channel "foxco"）

What I think

I felt that it is possible to build community and use SNS as a safe place to be by avoiding stigma and expressing pronouncements through the features offered by social media platforms. However, all of these features require action by LGBTQ+ people using SNS. They do not directly eliminate defamation. The approach on the part of social media platforms needs to be improved in these respects.

Summary

1年間の学習を通してLGBTについての知識を深めることができた。私はLGBTについて調べるまでは、あまりそれについて現実的には考えていなかった。しかし、スターティングストーリーや当事者の声から、身近なところでLGBTについて考えられる機会が多くあることに気づいた。また、問題を限定的に捉えることは難しいとも感じた。つまり、自分は当事者ではないからと言って解決策を検討するだけでは不十分であるということだ。実際にアクションを起こすということが必要なのである。言い換えれば、実際にアクションを起こすことができる。多くの社会問題はアクションを国や政府が起こすのを待たなければいけない。その点が、このLGBTを考える時に身近に感じられる理由なのかもしれない。特にSNSはLGBTの人だけが使うような限定的なツールではない。さまざまな人が基本的には顔が見えない状態で利用する。相手の顔が見えないことがより一層その人のプロフィールや肩書きでのつながりを重要にさせる。普通に生活していたら自己紹介する時間を設けないと知ることができない情報をその人のプロフィール欄や文章、写真などから知ることができる。つまり、SNSは多様性をより感じられる場所なのである。「色々な人がいて当たり前」という考え方がオンラインの空間に存在していることがLGBTの人々に寄り添う一歩になっている。

Throughout my year of study, I have learned a lot about LGBT. Until I researched LGBT, I had not thought much realistically about it. However, from the starting stories and the voices of toujisya, I realized that there are many opportunities to think about LGBT close to home. I also felt that it is difficult to take a limited view of the issue. In other words, it is not enough to consider solutions just because one is not a party to the problem. It is necessary to actually take action. In other words, actually taking action. Many social issues have to wait for the state or government to take action. Perhaps that is the reason why this LGBT issue is so accessible to us when we think about it. SNS in particular is not a limited tool that only LGBT people use. People of all walks of life use them with essentially no face to face contact. Not being able to see the other person's face makes the connection with that person's profile and title even more important. We can learn information from a person's profile, text, and photo that we would not be able to learn in a normal life without taking the time to introduce ourselves. In other words, SNS are a place where you can experience more diversity. The idea that "it's normal to be different" exists in the online space is one step closer to being there for LGBT people.