Have you ever been treated unfairly in Japan for your race, gender, nationality/ethnicity, or sexuality? What happened?
日本において、人種・ジェンダー・セクシュアリティ・国籍などを理由に、理不尽な扱いを受けたことはありますか？ある場合、それはどのようなものでしたか？
I was walking with my friend one morning and we ended up walking all the way till Shibuya. This is when a guy who was clearly hungover from the last night suddenly came too close to my friend and leered at her in Japanese. My friend got really scared and stopped walking. I gave the man an angry look and we walked away. My friend was visibly shaken and kept looking over her shoulders until we got back home. Being drunk is not an excuse for such behaviour, nothing really is!
私は、グループディスカッションなどで積極的に発言したり、プレゼンテーションで発表担当になったりすることが多いのですが、ある日普段通りに発言している私に向かって「女の子なのにしっかりしているね～」と言ってきた中年男性がいました。本人は褒めているつもりだったのかもしれまんが、女の子といっても、私は20代前半でしたし、「女性＝発言できない」というステレオタイプがありありと感じられて、二重の意味で馬鹿にされた気分になりました。
Although implicit, there have definitely been instances where I felt discriminated against because of the way I looked. For example, when a train is relatively full, but there is always an open seat next to me — I felt this could be because I was a "foreigner". I recently read an article that actually talks about this phenomenon. It's nice to know I'm not alone in this, but I can't help feeling an intentional distancing toward non-Japanese people... Similarly, I have felt unwelcome or received much colder service in restaurants and shops, presumably because of my non-nativeness. I also can't help but think that this is also because Chinese tourists have earned a rather negative image in Japan, and so for someone looks Chinese like me, the immediate assumption is that I will behave badly and not abide by society's rules. Though subtle (never overt, in Japan), the treatment I get in return is potentially reflective of these prejudices. Overall, when I am in Japan, I am always hyper-aware of my appearance, nationality, and sexuality in a way that having grown up overseas, I had never felt before, because I feel like it always influences the way people interact with me here.
道で全く知らない人に、お尻を触られたり、スカートを上げてパンツを見られたりした。
Yeah, I have been called “くそインド人”but I’m actually Mexican.
Yes, by looking clearly foreigner (Mexican) I was a target of police harassment when riding my bike back home at night.
ある、上司からのセクハラ。
はい。会社で勝手にLGBTであると噂話を立てられたりしました。
Yes, by my ex-boss. I was in a team with a boy so he would always give tasks to him, even though we should work on the same stuff. He would recommend me to get married and leave work. There was an uncomfortable situation when he asked my colleague If I could speak English. And I was just in front of him.
「社長とお話できますか？」「はい私（女）ですけどなにか？」日常茶飯事の性別役割分業前提の会話
Yes. Sometimes ignored, dismissed or spoken over.
高校の体育の授業で男子だけ先生がついて柔道を習い、女子は先生に教えられなくてもできる縄跳びしかできなかった。自衛術として習いたかったし、どうして男女で自動的に分けたのかわからない。大学でも「女なのに意見をはっきり言いすぎてきつい性格」とか「それじゃ彼氏できない」と言われ続けた。社会人になってからは上司から体型について言われることが相次いだ。
While working at a service job in Tokyo, I was regularly belittled by my male coworkers. Almost every day, I cried in the break room. The criticisms and comments they directed toward me included my appearance, my mannerisms, my work ethic, my accent, and my family background. No stone was left unturned. Everyday that I spent at this job, I left feeling so small and insignificant. My confidence steadily declined, until I felt that this treatment was what I deserved. This was power harassment (パワハラ).
Yes—I've been mocked for not speaking fluent Japanese even when I was trying my best to do so. Furthermore, as a girl, I can't help but notice just how much I am assumed to be stupid or incompetent at my job or in my classes.
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