#and gay marriage is actually legal there unlike in japan

[im-a-little-kit]

forget the japhan phwedding conspiracy of 2015 they're this close to making me believe in the australia phwedding conspiracy of 2024

[project-sekai-facts]

Wait An/Kohane have outright stated romantic interest?

poor wording on my end bc they never actually say "an and kohane like each other romantically" but the evidence it very much there and it is clearly depicted and phrased in other ways. for example: the shoujo sparkle effect that is used for An from Kohane's POV.

This effect is often used on Haruka in Minori's imagination, which, well, let's just say it doesn't disprove that Kohane is attracted to An. While the effect is also used to show a character being cute or having a strong "idol" aura without any attraction attached, it's prettly clear the intent was to show Kohane's attraction. Also she was blushing.

Bonus points to the fact the wedding event has a underlying message (they say it on screen) about how marriage should be equal regardless of the genders of the couple [because gay marriage currently isn't legal in Japan].

There's also literally everything in Buddy Funny Spend Time. While almost all of the interactions in that event can be read as platonic if you really want to, they're written so you can interpret it as romantic if you choose to. And considering the featured pairs in this event were Minori/Haruka, An/Kohane, and (briefly) Shizuku/Airi, it's not like that reading isn't supported by the writers lol. There's one part where Minori and Kohane get jealous of how close Haruka and An are as childhood friends and aren't sure if they can amount to that, but they want to try. Doesn't necessarily have to be romantic but can be if you choose to read it as such.

When Kohane is visibly attracted to Haruka, An gets slightly jealous and says that her singing should be the only thing that makes Kohane react that way.

Haruka also points out that although An has always been super friendly she's never been like this with anyone until Kohane came into her life, and still keeps this behaviour Kohane-exclusive. An says it's because they're partners, which, kinda friendzones them, but kinda doesn't.

The word for partner used in the story - "aibou" - means, to put it in incredibly basic terms, coworkers. It's like the cowboy or detective word for partner, though I believe it comes up in shounen every so often (the genre vbs story is based on). In itself, aibou has no romantic connotation. But 3 of the partnerships we see in VBS' story have lots of interactions that easily read as having romantic undertones, so basically in the context of VBS story the nature of said partnerships becomes a little more ambiguous. The word is still platonic and that doesn't change, but you get the idea. Oh and VBS has recurring romantic soulmate imagery more on that later.

continuing on BFST, yeah they went on a date. which is strongly suggested to be a romantic date unlike how it's sometimes used platonically. like the other characters say An is "seeing someone", at least in the English translation, which is very much associated with romantic interest. Also the original Japanese for the "do you know who she's going out with" line uses the phrase デートの相手 which is the Japanese equivalent for the word "date" (as in a person/your date), so it's not really any different. they go on another one in Kick it up a notch and An's card story for the event. their relationship is never labelled or anything (probably bc this genre avoids that sorta thing for fan-related reasons) but this very much was a thing that happened.

(also when ken says partner he says aibou. so not partner /r but anyway it does clarify that this date is to do with their relationship on a different level to partners /p. ie: an's going on a date with kohane because she's cute not because she's her partner. language is fun)

Lastly back on that thing I said I'd come back to. The Walk on and on costumes have romantic soulmate symbolism included on them. The wings on the backs of the outfits are based on the mythical hiyoku bird, a one-winged bird that could only fly after meeting its other half. Kohane's costume has pink accents, one of the variants has accents in An's image color and the wings on the backs of those variants match up to each other. The card illstrations themselves also feature crows, which mate for life. While the symbolism is mostly associated with Toya, the Whip the Wimp Girl! cards take place in the same location as the woao cards which is pretty neat, and makes sense given the themes of both events. I've put both their gacha logos above as well. Oh and An's card for wtwg was. Something.

And Kohane got the valentine event this year and it was about her entering a contest to win limited edition chocolates for An I forgot about that until just now.

Have fun with that.

[fagnumopus]

A lot of people are assuming they're not "explicitly" together because of censorship, but going by other famous "couples" in Nintendo's bigger IPs, such as Link and Zelda, and Mario and Peach, it's just very uncommon for Nintendo to depict any sort of PDA outside of hand holding, hugging, or cheek kisses in their romantically involved characters. Often romance is implied, by body language, acts of service, or even just using story tropes (like saving the princess from a castle!) So it's not unlike Nintendo at all to write a romantic relationship through implication, it doesn't mean that they're being censored, it's just very similar to how they write all their romantic side-stories

I can't speak for the actual beliefs or morals of Nintendo as a whole, but even as a corporation they're surprisingly progressive. They introduced their Partnership System in March 2021, which grants same-sex domestic partnerships the same benefits that their legally married employees have, even when Japan doesn't recognize same-sex marriage legally

Nintendo also has a history of adding queer characters to their games, such as Vivian from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, who's canonically a trans woman; Tony from MOTHER 2, who's a gay boy; Splatoon 3 and Animal Crossing: New Horizong, which are games that allow for gender expression without gender-locking any outfit and don't ask you to pick "male" or "female"; and even characters whose romantic feelings for the protagonist (as in, you) can be freely inferred as queer, such as Fire Emblem Three Houses and Pokémon Sun and Moon (Lily has a crush on you, regardless of gender!)

Also, of course, Acht from Splatoon 3 is explicitly nonbinary, and uses they/them pronouns in the actual game

So, yeah... the idea that Nintendo not showing Marina and Pearl kissing or saying they're girlfriends is some form of censorship is understandable when you take into consideration Japan's censorship of queer media, but it is also a little misinformed, at least coming from the history of Nintendo itself

I knew that nintendo very likely wouldn’t outright say something like “Yes these characters are gay” but the way they were so insanely unsubtle about Pearl and Marina’s Definitely more-than-just-friends relationship in side order made me so happy to see, like there is SO much stuff that you just cannot come up with a heterosexual explanation for.

Marina’s sheer amount of swoony dialogue, dev diaries, her drawings of pearl, her desktop background WHO is doing all those things for their “best friend” . Pearl’s also shown to be concerned for and protective of Marina as well as be supportive of her infodumping about her interests

Even some smaller and potentially not-even-totally-intentional things just Work perfectly as more subtle details such as Marina’s dev diary being represented by an infinity sign with a rainbow gradient super similar to the symbol for autism advocacy, or the flags near cipher’s siftings with similar coloration to the lesbian flag (more noticeable with a certain filter in camera mode)

In conclusion my god these cephalopods gay good for them

[murasaki-murasame]

With chapter 54, Ao no Flag is finally, officially over, and even though I think this finale is going to be extremely controversial in many different ways, I think I . . . kinda loved it? Mostly. There’s at least one big Thing [tm] that bugs me about it but anyway the rest of this will be under a cut because spoilers lmao.

Anyway TL;DR: it has it’s flaws, but this series is basically revolutionary when it comes to LGBT representation in shonen manga, and I think that’s worthy of respect in it’s own right. Also the physical volumes are gonna start coming out at the end of this month in English and this is basically gonna be my last chance to shill for it :)

Oh boy where do I even start with this ending, lmao. So much shit went down and a lot of people on all sides are probably gonna be upset and disappointed for one reason or another.

Just to get my main complaint out the way, I’m really not a big fan of Masumi ending up married to a man [especially one that she seems to not even really like that much]. On the one hand yes I don’t want to be biphobic about it, but on the other hand it just feels like another instance of this whole cliche of a character being set up as pretty explicitly gay, with it being made clear that they aren’t attracted to the opposite sex, but then they end up in an m/f relationship at the very end and I guess we’re meant to think they were bi all along. I feel like it does bi people a disservice to basically portray them as ‘gay people that just eventually find the right man/woman to end up in an m/f relationship with’. But it’s not really my place to talk about it one way or another. In general I just think Masumi deserved more screen-time and development to flesh out her own character growth, but one way or another it feels like this series ended a bit earlier than it was probably intended to, and I think she just got the short end of the narrative stick when it came to prioritizing which characters to focus on in the second half.

I’m also still not really a fan of how little of a voice Touma got as the series goes on, to the point of there being multiple chapters where he straight up doesn’t get any dialogue even if he’s the perspective character for most of it. At least there’s a sense of artistic intention and merit to it, but in the grand scheme of things I just wish he could have gotten to DO stuff more as the series went on.

I did at least end up liking how that set up the big ‘twist’ of this finale, though, and there’s no other way the same twist could have been pulled off, but I almost just kinda wish that the author had chosen to write this finale in an entirely different way if it meant we actually got to see Touma, lmao.

But anyway that brings us to the other big reveal that’ll probably dominate at least half of the discussions about this finale and the series as a whole, that being that not only did Taichi and Touma end up in a relationship, they’re actually married. And honestly the inner writer in me can’t help but respect how effective the set-up for it was, with us seeing everything through Touma’s eyes without anyone referring to him by name, and him writing his family name in the wedding registry thing as ‘Ichinose’, to lead the reader to think that we’re just seeing things through Taichi’s eyes as a literal cypher protagonist situation. But then you get the scene at the end where Touma meets back up with Taichi, who was at an entirely different wedding, and we get the whole final scene that paints a pretty clear picture of them being a happily married couple living together in their own house. Which also kinda has to be taken in the broader societal context of how Japan more or less still hasn’t legalized gay marriage yet, which makes the twist even more effective. And also goes to show how much of a message this is trying to send.

I think it’s 100% valid to be upset about how things ended up with Masumi, but honestly if you think that Taichi and Touma ending up together is completely out of nowhere and not set up at all then lmao get over yourselves. To be perfectly blunt I think like 90% of the people who are upset about this part of the ending are just bitter that the gay dude got to have a happy ending and wasn’t just subjected to live in single misery forever. Let’s just say that after all the gloating I saw straight people do in the last chapter about how ‘things don’t always end up happily for gay people’ and ‘this series was always about the cruel realities of life’, I feel pretty fucking vindicated now, lmao.

In general I’ve got mad respect for Kaito for pulling off the galaxy brain scheme of having a shonen romance manga where the protagonist gets a girlfriend halfway into the story, then right at the end of the penultimate chapter we find out that they broke up, and then we find out that the protagonist ended up married to his gay best friend instead. I can see why people are mad about it, but I’ve always wanted to see this sort of thing happen in a manga like this. I just wish that Masumi could have also gotten a happier ending, but oh well.

Sadly I have a feeling that the whole twist of this finale also means it’s going to be even more unlikely for them to ever make an anime adaptation of this series, even though I think it could work really nicely if they made one.

I feel like I’m gonna have to reread the series at least once now that it’s over and we know exactly what everything was building toward, since it really changes a lot of things in hindsight, especially all of the various hints about Taichi’s own feelings for Touma which I always thought was just wishful thinking on my part but now seems like genuine foreshadowing. I think even this final chapter itself might feel a bit different if I go back and reread it knowing the twist, especially with how it changes the context of Masumi’s husband talking to Touma about his relationship insecurities, and what he indirectly says about Touma and Taichi’s own relationship.

In a lot of ways I think this series was a master-class in visual storytelling, and leaving things unsaid. But unlike a lot of stories that relegate the LGBT thematic arcs to metaphors or hints or unspoken words, this lead to a really concrete ending that gives you a lot to look back on and re-examine the story with. I’m honestly a lot more willing to excuse how little of a voice Touma got as the series went on now that he actually got his happy ending, one way or another.

There’s also a lot to be said about editorial censorship and pressure to keep certain story elements unstated and implied, if not removed entirely, which has to be taken into account for pretty much everything like this. Not like it’s an excuse for everything, but we all remember stuff like the censorship and whatnot that went on behind the scenes with Yuri on Ice from the various higher-ups.

I really hope that series like this can slowly pave the way for more straightforward and explicit LGBT narratives within mainstream shonen manga, but these things take time, and for now I’ll take what I can get.

Anyway I’m at least definitely going to be buying the series in English even though I already own it all in Japanese already, lol.

[rottenboysclub]

Man, everybody keeps on repeating how conservative and insert-phobic Japan is, but the more I read about modern Japanese society the more blatantly it looks more progressive than Polish society :/ Especially in light of our president promising a project of "homosexual propaganda" (talking about queerness in public and sex ed of any kind) ban on cennetial anniversary of independence march.

They’re probably meaning that it’s more conservative wrt LGBT+ rights than American society as a whole, which is true in certain aspects, but blatantly false in others. For instance, Japan doesn’t have gay marriage at the moment, but it also doesn’t have religious Christian-based homophobia that enforces various anti-LGBT+ laws in the US and Europe. 

Basing it purely on specific rights (legality of same-sex relationships, legal recognition of relationships, same-sex marriage, adoption by same-sex couples, being allowed to serve in the military, anti-discrimination laws and laws concerning transgender and gender expression) Japan is one of the most progressive countries in East Asia.

In Japan, homosexual sex is legal for both men x men or women x women and age of consent is equal for both gay and heterosexual couples, certificates for legal partnerships are available in certain jurisdictions, LGBT people are allowed to serve in the military, certain cities have anti-discrimination laws, and transgender people are legally allowed to change gender. MSM can donate blood, but only after a 6-month deferral period.

In addition, Japan is also preparing to lower its age of majority from 20 to 18 and expanding transgender rights, allowing legal gender change without surgery from 18 years old. Even many European countries still require trans people to be sterilised and have gender reassignment surgery, so this is a big step. 

Taiwan will be making same-sex marriage legal next year (May 24th 2019) - the first place in East Asia to do so. 

Obviously we’ve still got a way to go before we have full equality, and with the way Japanese adoption works, it’s unlikely that Japan will have adoption for same-sex couples anytime soon (IVF + commercial surrogacy is also banned for het couples as well, as is single-person adoption).

However, I think simply saying “X country is so conservative” without actually doing anything about it is pointless, when we could be petitioning and fighting for better rights instead.

[fandomiseverything]

Pros and Con of Countries - Written by two Americans (Who both live in Minnesota)

Canadia

Pros:

Marriage equality (the gays can get married!) (SINCE 2005!!!!) (YEAH!!!!!)

Free healthcare :0

People are truly friendly

Politics are lighthearted and easily run

Higher wages

They have a town called Regina

Money has little windows that when a laser pointer is shined through it, it shows the value on the wall

They hate Justin Bieber

I’m pretty sure Justin Bieber can’t go into Canada? So that’s good (that is good)

Avril Lavigne

AVRIL LAVIGNE (yeah shes great but why is she a pro 2 times) (cuz she’s a clone) (ohyea)

Its a themepark (what) (their money projects the amount on the wall, its monopoly money, its waterproof, and its a scratch and sniff….. Its a themepark)

GingerPale

Rei & Shane (and Rei’s cats)

Canada is one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world

Change of legal sex available in all provinces and territories

under varying rules without sexual reassignment surgery

Tim Horton’s (YEEEEE, now i want tim hortons, ive heard of it never had it, and now i want it) (it’s gooooood. One day we could drive down to Brainerd and get some) (THEY HAVE TIM HORTONS IN BRAINERD????/!111/1/1?1/1?!?!?!?) (ye) (WEEEENEEEEEDDDTTOOOOOGGOOOGOGOOO!!!!11!!!1!11!!!!!, LEAVE IT TO MINNESOTA OR AS WE KNOW IT, SOUTH CANADA, TO HAVE A TIM HORTONS)

Cons:

Higher cost of living

Snow. lots of fucking snow.

Their money??? Is weird???

Consumer choice is low (especially with Netflix. The Canadian library is half the size of America’s)

Environmental impact (they’re one of the top oil producers in the world)

They spell Canadien with an “e” (its Canadian you matherfeker)

Its kinda hard to get into Canada

*Chloe voice* they are not French they just PRETEND to be for ATTENTION. (wow)

A lot of people only speak French (thats pretty much the same for any country, they speak a different language)

How do you speak French (very difficultly, lots of vowels, slightly similar to italian and spanish)

Its a themepark

It doesn’t exist (vtru)

COLD

Sweden

Pros:

It’s very clean. Like, seriously.

Most attractive people in the world

The locals are anti-social

The Gay has been legal since 1944

Right to change legal gender since 1972,

No sterilization required since 2013

Sexual orientation and gender identity/expression protections

Gays can adopt

Gay marriage legal since 2009

the first country in the world to allow transgender people to legally correct their gender

HomO, was the Swedish office of the ombudsman against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation (i think its a funny name)

after one year of abstaining from sex, gay and bi men can donate blood

Sweden is Europe's most gay-friendly country

Cons

Very high taxes

Can’t ask for directions no one will talk to you :(

The locals are anti-social (so am i)

Germnay

Pros:

Central hub makes it easy to travel to other european countries

Good healthcare

Very active, with fairs and parties

Oktoberfest is pretty lit i guess (you guess?) (I’ve never been to Oktoberfest but my friend from Germnay - fuck you - says it’s great)

Legal drinking age is 16

Rammstein

Furries (i’m not a furry i sWEAR) (are you sure about that??) (i dOnT kNoW)

Legal to be gay  since 1968 East Germany and 1969 West Germany

Gay marriage legal since 2017

Transgender persons allowed to change legal gender without required sterilisation and surgery

Sexual orientation and gender identity protection nationwide; some protections vary by region

Full adoption rights since 2017

gay and bisexual men have been allowed to donate blood, provided they haven't had sex for twelve months

83% of Germans support same-sex marriage

Cons:

Nearly everything is closed on sunday

Legal drinking age is 16

Germans dont get sarcasm

Finland

Pros:

They, unlike the Germans LOVE sarcasm

Very clean air

walk anywhere in nature at anytime

SEALS they have a special breed of seal native to finland

Very clear northern lights

They’re modest?

Extremists

Good heavy metal music apparently

People say they’re kind

Some of the most progressive lgbt laws in the world

Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sterilization

Sexual orientation and gender identity protections

Gay marriage is legal

Legal to be gay since 1971

one of the most LGBT-friendly countries in the world and public acceptance of LGBT people and same-sex relationships is high (lots of gays!!)

Cons:

CANCELLED, THEY HAVE FAT RARE SEALS

Norway (Richie’s fave country besides Canada)

Pros:

Snow is wet so you can actually do stuff with it (unlike MINNESOTA) (you CAN do stuff with minnesota snow!) (NO YOU CAN’T IT’S POWDERY AND WEIRD) (swhy you wait for wet snow or wait till it melts slightly, cause then its warm and thereswet snow) (NO) (yEEE) >:(

Norwegian elkhounds :0

People seem friendly?

Transgender persons allowed to change legal gender

Sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, intersex status protections

Gay marriage legal since 2009, Gender-neutral marriage has been legally recognized since 1 January 2009

Married and committed same-sex couples allowed to adopt

Gay is legal since 1972

1 year deferral period was implemented, gay and bisexual men can donate blood

generally gay-friendly

Cons:

Shrugs

COLD (VERY COLD)

Russia

Pros:

Furry coats are nice

Furry hats called ushanka

Babushka means grandma but buska means bitch

Vodka

The GayTM, Decriminalised in 1917; Re-criminalised in 1933; Legal since 1993

Legal gender change since 1997

But only after what they call ‘medical procedures’ (idk what they mean by that but i suspect surgERY)

Cons:

No gays allowed

Religion is bAD

Religion is GOOD

THEY CAN’T DECIDE???

ALSO COLD (SO COLD)

Too much snow

They like to destroy things? I saw two Russian guys put a stick of dynamite in the sewer and explode the road? Why? (BAD but thins going boom is fun, but not important things)

Vladimir Putin (yee, but we have sarah palin to watch him) (o shid u right)

Government is weird? You can get killed if you say you don’t like the tsar?

If you gay and live in ‘Murica you can’t adopt from Russia (fuck russia)

Communism I guess (thought you liked communism?) (to a degree. I like the idea of it but it’s also bad? Like you can’t/don’t own anything? Your dog is not your dog it is everyone’s dog? I do not like that my dog is mINE)

No discrimination protections

No recognition of gay relationships

tends to be among the most hostile toward homosexuality

Japan

Pros:

SHIBES!!!!! AKITAS!!!! FLUFFY DOGGIES!!!

Sakura trees :0

Pretty colors

Gay is legal, it was legalized in 1880

Very strict gun laws

Never had a school shooting EVER

2015 opinion poll found that a majority of Japanese support the legalisation of same-sex marriage

sex among consenting adults, in private, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender, is legal under Japanese law

Cons:

Killer bees (we dont like killer beeeees, NOT THEEEE BEEEEEEEEEESSSS!!!) (the killer bees will kill you in a heartbeat)(bad bees…. , NONONONONONNOTJAPAN) (they only live in the forests tho. I think)(ILIKEFORESTS!!) (me too)

No nationwide recognition of same-sex relationships

No gay marriage

Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands

Pros:

All the gay is allowed

They have their own website you know it’s legit when they have their own website

Government is gay (everything there is gay) (shhhhhhhhhggSTOPITgggg)(NO)

Dingos

Cons:

Im pretty sure you cant permanently live there

It was technically at war with Australia for a while

Dingos (I want,,, to pet them,,, but they will bite me,,,)(i was gonna put them in the cons too if you didnt)

Kangaroos (vdangerous) (they scare me) (THEY SHOULD)

Greece (i like greece)

Pros:

Ruins

Anti-lgbt discrimination explicitly banned (ooo nice)

Food

Ocean!!!!!!! Ocean ocean ocean ocean ocean ocean ocean!!!!!!!!! (SaME)

Goats :0

Male homosexuality has been legal since 1951, female homosexuality has always been legal (nICE)

Hate crimes laws covering all areas incl. sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics

school  sex ed classes include segments on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, homophobia and transphobia (NICE!!!!!)

Pride has been held since 2005, and has been held in most other moderate sized cities since 2010

Trans people's can legally change their gender without having to undergo sex reassignment surgery (NICE!!!!!!)

GAY CULTURE IS VERY VIBRANT

a 1982 law that legalized civil marriage between "persons", without specifying gender, acted as a test-case for same sex marriage

Since 2005, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace is prohibited.

A lot of boat traveling

Cons:

Quality of life is kind of falling apart

A lot of animals roam freely, which means LOTS of poop

Goat farmers (whats wrong with goat farmers) (they won’t let me pet their goats :( ) (really…. Thats why this is a con?) (yes. I’m a petty bich) (......) (i like goats. And i want to pet them. If you do not let me pet your goats I will be sad [and kinda mad because I want to love them])

Lots of fucking goat cheese

Too close to Italy (whats wrong with italy???) (too friendly. It’s suspicious) (OMFG SERIOUSLY???) (YOU PUT THE FACT THAT CANADA SPELLS CANADIAN WITH AN “E” IN THE CONS) (thats because it iS A CON!!!!! CANADIAN IS SPEELED WITH AN “A”) (NOT IN CANADA)

The Netherlands

Pros:

quite strict gun laws, not seen as a right, but a privilege (????) (you wanted strict gun laws, they have really strict gun laws, its a privilege to have guns, and only for hunting and target shooting, not for self defence, or for other things at all) (nice!)

Homosexuality legalized in 1811 (holy shid)(yeeee)

Gay marriage legal since 2001 (i was born in 2001, they knew i was coming) (I was born in 2000)

The first country to legalize gay marriage (I approve)

banned discrimination on sexual orientation on the grounds of employment, housing, public accommodations, and more.

Lesbians can get IFV (???)(in vitro fertilization, they implant a fertilized egg so they can carry their own child, instead of just adopting)

Transgender persons allowed to change legal gender, only after a diagnosis but without surgery or hormone therapy

. Amsterdam has frequently been named one of the most LGBT friendly cities in the world

Homomonument, was the first monument in the world to commemorate homosexuals who were persecuted and killed during World War II (this is so cool)

85% of the Dutch population supported same-sex marriage and adoption as of 2013

Cons:

Cold? I think?

Republic of Ireland

Pros:

Ireland (nice pro) (thanks)

first country to legalise same-sex marriage on a national level by popular vote

Affordable for any budget

Entitled to 20 days of leave

Yes, transgender people can change legal gender by self-declaration since 2015

Safe, with few guns

Less police

Lots of pubs

Speak English (this was a pro on a website) (IT IS A PRO I ONLY SPEAK SPANGLISH) (Spanglish) (YES SPANGLISH , DONT BE A DIC) (I can’t be what I don’t have)

Fear nothing and no one

Gay marriage legal since 2015

Low crime rate

Cons:

In a fight with Northern Ireland because they don’t want to be ruled by England but Northern Ireland does. Now Northern Ireland is a separate country.

The potato famine (I like potatos) (exactly)

Bad weather

Less police

Not much of a non-alcohol social scene

Fear nothing and no one

The Philippines

Pros:

Have to be at least 21, and pass a background check to be issued a Possession License for guns

If you’re a foreigner and you have a gun, you’re going to go to prison.

They are poised to make stricter gun laws

LGB allowed in the military

Low cost of living

GORGEOUS!!! IT’S GORGEOUS!!!

The Family Code of the Philippines says that marriage is “a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman,” but The Constitution does not prohibit same-sex marriage

One of the most gay-friendly countries in the world

Is the most gay-friendly country in Asia

Cons:

Can’t donate blood if you gay. You will give them The GayTM. (don’t drink the tap water)

Drug problems

Healthcare problems in some areas

Tagalog is very complicated to learn

Malta

Pros:

Transgender people can change gender with or without surgery

Homosexuality legal since 1973

Gay marriage legal since 2017

ban on anti-gay discrimination in employment

sexual orientation and gender identity protections

the first country in the European Union to prohibit the use of conversion therapy

Cons:

Gay and bi men in Malta are not allowed to donate blood

Though there’s talk to change that law

Poland

Pros:

In Warsaw they have a Hatsune Miku statue

Never illegal to be gay

Transgender persons allowed to change legal gender.

one of few countries where sexually active gay and bisexual men are not legally restricted from donating blood. (give them The GayTM, drink that dam tap water)

Cons:

Apply to high schools

School is weird

Gay marriage is banned (wHAT) (I KNOW! Im sad too) (what if you’re gay married BEFORE moving to Poland) (idk are you planning to get gay married?, also … i dont remember waht i was gonna say) (no i’m just thinking about all the other gays who might move to Poland)

United Kingdom

Pros:

The Queen (YEEEE!!!)

Always legal for women to be gay; decriminalised for men in: 1967 England and Wales, 1981 Scotland, 1982 Northern Ireland

Right to change legal gender since 2005

Gay marriage since 2014, not in northern ireland

All discrimination protections since 2010; some existed since 2003 for sexual orientation and 1999 for gender identity

Tea

Crumpets

Cons:

Under the Gender Recognition Act 2004, transgender people who are married have been required to divorce or annul their marriage in order for them to be issued with a GRC. (??????? wtf????) (ikr, its kind of very mean)

The legislation of gay marriage also does not restore any of the marriages of transgender people that were forcibly annulled as a precondition for them securing a GRC

What time is it? ...ITS SEVEN BONG!! (you know they don’t actually tell time like this, right?) (IDONTCARE)

Still #salty about the Revolution (VERY)

BISCUITS (NO!!) (aka cookies in America) (FUCK BISCUITS)

conversion therapy remains legal in the UK (NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO) (IKR LIKE FUCK THAT)

Rains a lot

France

Pros:

Baguette (noice)

DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF DAY THE FRENCH GO EITHER WAY

Legal to be gay since 1791 (no wonder Lafayette was like how he was)

Transgender people allowed to change legal gender without surgery

Sexual orientation and gender identity protections

Gay marriage legal since 2013

amendment to existing anti-discrimination legislation, making homophobic, sexist, racist, xenophobic etc. comments illegal.

gay and bisexual men in France can donate blood after 1 year of abstinence

Transsexuality declassified as an illness

Cons:

Lots of crime? (from what I’ve heard)

Denmark

Pros:

Gay is legal since 1933

Transgender persons allowed to change legal gender without a diagnosis, hormone therapy, surgery or sterilization

Sexual orientation and gender identity/expression protections

Full adoption since 2010

Gay marriage legal since 2012

Gays in military since 1978

Lesbians can get IFV

Laws against hate speech for seual orientation

Lgbt sex ed and relationships taught in schools

Cons:

Iceland

Pros:

Legal to be gay since 1940

Transgender people allowed to change gender without surgery

Gay marriage since 2010

No standing army

Sexual orientation protections

Both full joint and stepchild adoption allowed

2016, Icelandic President participated in the Reykjavik Pride Parade

the first Icelandic President to attend a gay pride parade

Cons:

No standing army

currently unable to donate blood in Iceland

Though they are wanting to remove the ban

Greenland

Pros:

The GayTM has been legal since 1933

Sexual orientation protection laws

outlawed hate speech on the basis of sexual orientation

Gay marriage and full adoption rights since 2016

Cons:

Cant donate blood

trans people cant legally change gender (fACK YA GENDA RULES)

This is all we got for now, but if anyone has any input or tidbits about these countries that wasn’t listed, that you think is important (especially if you live in said countries, send one of us a message, we’ll add it asap! (most likely me, because im on more often and as such am more likely to check my messages) Sorry for the extremely long post!

[sassyhazelowl]

Yuri Manga List

Lists:

LGBT+ Fiction LGBT+ Anime Yuri Manga LGBT+ Film & Comics

This list merits a separate post because I didn’t want to lump it in with the Western fiction post because, well, it is Japanese, and there are some huge cultural differences.

I feel the need to clear up what ‘yuri’ is, as a genre, and as a unique sociocultural Japanese genre at that. 

First, yuri is not the female version of yaoi. At least not sexually. Let this die, please. Second, actual yuri is for women made by women, and any yuri with a target demographic of males (shonen and seinen) aka the ‘lolz lesbian p0rn’ niche, is technically not yuri, even though it gets grouped in by sheer merit of having f/f in it. Third, shoujo-ai is not a Girls’ Love in Japan and it has nothing to do with yuri.

Yuri means ‘lily’ and it is the counterpart to gay male fiction Bara, which means ‘rose.’ As stated above, it is created by women, usually gay women, for other women or girls. However, this is where the cultural aspect kicks it. It is entirely for CIS girls... and entirely for lesbians, too. Fiction is about fantasy, and Japan has gal pals to the extreme. It is very common for young Japanese women to bond extremely closely to other young women, far more than would be considered ‘friends’ in some cases, but when the circumstances change they will move on, get married and ‘be adults.’ In that regard, yuri is like yaoi; it is a CIS fantasy about gay characters, just usually not a sexual or fetishizing one, to process hard to deal with aspects of daily life.

This list is very limited because I tend to stick to legal sources of entertainment, and by no means reflective of the sheer volume of f/f manga. Seven Seas Entertainment has printed at least a dozen yuri series, for example, and Yen Press has also started publishing yuri as has Viz.This does not include anime, just printed media. Also, not all of these titles are yuri, but they all contain f/f.

Titles/Publisher (in English): Citrus/ Seven Seas The Good: gorgeous, smooth art style, realistic situations (if not exactly realistic solutions LOL), strong protagionist The Bad: comes off as fanservice-y (I honestly don’t mind but it is more sexual than a lot of yuri), plays hard on a lot of super dramatic tropes at the beginning which makes it eye roll worthy in places Extra Notes: This is probably one of the most controversial manga on the list, and even more so since it’s getting an anime this winter season. Still, of the yuri I’ve read, this is my favorite. Personal Rating: 8.5/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Publisher (in English): Kase-san/ Seven Seas The Good: cute The Bad: mostly fluff, bland characters Extra Notes: I did see a rumor going around about the manga-ka’s other works being problematic. Honestly, manga-kas are professionals and they write what their editors/contracts want, so I don’t find this to be a genuine reflection of character nor does the problematic content extend to Kase-san. However, some people like to know the author and that factors into their enjoyment of the work, so fair warning. Personal Rating: 5/10 Recommend: Meh

Titles/Publisher (in English): Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl/ Yen Press The Good: multiple pairings, serviceable art, wide variety of tropes The Bad: multiple pairings, wide variety of tropes, mostly fluff, main pairing/romance is unlikable and very Shoujo-Romance-Trope heavy but without a dick. Extra Notes: I enjoyed the series enough to check all the available volumes out from the library but would not buy it. It is an anthology style series, so if you don’t like micro/mini stories, this isn’t for you. Personal Rating: 6.5/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Publisher (in English): Whispered Words/ One Peace Books The Good: seems more lesbian oriented than most yuris that aim for both sides, brings up gay marriage, charming characters, decent plot The Bad: so slooow but not in a good slow burn way Extra Notes: Of the series I’ve read, this one is complete and rather long-running. While there were parts where i was bored, it is still worth a read. Personal Rating: 8.5/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Publisher (in English): Akuma no Riddle/ Seven Seas  The Good: nice art style, plot focused, distinguished characters and character motivations, successful use of tropes in a satisfying way The Bad: parts of the end are confusing, character likability is hit or miss, a bit contrived as most battle royale series are Extra Notes: This series is complete and there is an anime of it. However, the anime tones down and censors the gay parts a lot. It is a battle royale, but not a typical one. Personal Rating: 8.5/10 Recommend: Maybe, genre dependent

Titles/Publisher (in English): Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid/  Seven Seas The Good: has cute moments, likable characters The Bad: sleazy Extra Notes: Remember when I said not all f/f is yuri? This is not yuri; it is a seinen and created for men. The anime censors a lot of the more problematic content and makes it a lot more... palatable for other demographics. I honestly got about a 1/3rd into the first volume and put it down. Go watch the anime. Personal Rating: 5/10 Recommend: No

[nat-cheng-blog]

Final Paper: Manga supporting LGBT in Japan

Intro

LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures, which stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. In the Asia/Pacific region, where views of homosexuality are mostly negative, and it considered as troubling moral and social phenomenon. According to the study “A Cross-Cultural Study of Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About, Male Homosexuality. Journal of Homosexuality”, it was hypothesized that Japanese would exhibit more negative beliefs about homosexuality than the British and would tend to favor sociological explanations as possible etiological factors whereas British would prefer biological explanatory models. The Japanese were more unfavorable toward homosexuality, showing more reluctance in contact with homosexuals. (Furnham, 2009)

                        Figure 1. Data of Countries Should Society Accept Homosexuality. From http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/06/04/the-global-divide-on-homosexuality/

Figure 2. Data in Japan of “Should Society Accept Homosexuality?”. From http://www.equaldex.com/region/japan

Japan’s social perspective regarding homosexuality is completely different from the West. As you can see the data of the numbers of “Should Society Accept Homosexuality” in Japan, the acceptable percentage is relatively low compared to Europe and North America. The LGBT homophobic stigma is clearly demonstrated through the Japanese people, especially for the older generation in Japan; they think the homosexuality will damage society. According to the questionnaire on acceptance of homosexuality in Japan, the older generation (above 70-year-old) only have 24.2% of respondent support homosexuality. On the other hand, there are 71.6% who support homosexuality in the younger generation. Apparently, there are a sharp distinction of homosexuality’s opinion between young generation and old generation. However, what is the reason cause the huge discrepancy within the same culture, but different generation?

Figure 3. Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade celebrating LGBT culture from   http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/06/04/national/media-national/japan-baffled-intricacies-lgbt-issues/#.WOk86dIrKUk

“Each generation has its differences and just like individuals, generations have personalities, values and beliefs. The newest generation, the Millennials, are just starting to enter the workforce.” (Cara, p.2) In Japan, the manga (comic book) and anime culture impacts the behavior and belief of the young generation’s. “There are a number of contemporary visual artists born in the seventies and early eighties resurrecting the topic of desire through the visual appropriation of Japanese manga and anime.” (Julie,2013) The manga and anime itself has contain the powerful message and belief from the author, and impacts the reader’s belief unconsciously. Nowadays, technology is developing so fast and applied to more and more field, and people only pay attention on the development of technology. Yet, people often neglect the society and humanity problem. For this reason, many authors would be broadcasting their belief and confront the problem, which is the homophobia issue in Japan. It is difficult for teenagers to get the information that they need from the state, but alternative fantasy literature such as manga can lead the way in positive representation. There are many popular Japanese comic book often applied the homosexuality topic into the story. On this account, the manga is a powerful tool to guide the Japanese young generation to confront the LGBT issues. For the following, I would apply one of the mythology - psychoanalysis to explore the topic, a method of investigation of the unconscious mind affecting the conscious, founded by Sigmund Freud.

 Historical Views on Homosexuality in Japan

Japanese view on homosexuality has changed significantly over time. Surprisingly, a study of homosexuality in Japan culture signified that pre-modern Japan - Edo period (1603 - 1868) was exceptionally accepting of homosexuality and bisexuality. During that period of time, Japan started to modernize under Western influences. Joseph Hawkins in “The Gay and Lesbian Review” states that:

 Before the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japanese society sustained such male homosocial enclaves as the military, monastic Buddhism, the Kabuki theatre, and urban centers of male prostitution… Within the highly articulated homosocial æsthetic prior to 1868 and extending back to before the 1600's, the love object of Buddhist priests was typically a young androgynous boy, while the samurai favored a strong, resolute youth, and the Kabuki theater's aficionado focused on a transgendered person that signified the "female" in a filtered and interpretive form. (Hawkins, 2000)

    Figure 4. Ashuku Nyorai. From http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/ashuku.shtml

 Buddhism had a major influence on the development of Japanese society and remains an influential aspect of the culture during that time period. The Japanese samurai (the military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan) were known to respect the values of Buddhism. Dharmachari Jñanavira, Author of “Homosexuality in the Japanese Buddhist Tradition” argues that:

 unlike the Christian penitentials of the medieval period, Buddhist texts do not go into great detail explicating exactly what the 'wrong' and 'right' ways regarding sexual pleasure actually are. As with other actions, they are subject to the application of the golden mean: 'the deed which causes remorse afterward and results in weeping is ill-done. The deed which causes no remorse afterwards and results in joy and happiness is well done. (Jñanavira, 2001)

 Aforementioned, sex in Buddhism was link to desire, acceptance of diversity in sex which included homosexual and heterosexual activity. Buddhism was deeply affected the samurai’s belief under the Buddhist system of education. The homosexual relationships between a man and a young boy (samurai and his apprentice) was considered as a normal, common practice in Japanese society in that era; a young boy, apprentice, who would dress up as women in order to play the female roles.

Figure 5. Homosexuality in the Japanese Buddhist Tradition from http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Homosexuality_in_the_Japanese_Buddhist_Tradition

However, this phenomenon does not preserve until Meiji period (1868 - 1912) due to the influence from Western culture. Meiji was quickly modernized the country according to the Western ideals. During the Meiji period, the largest religion in Western- Christian was infiltrated into Japanese culture, which strongly against the idea of homosexuality. The law of Christian included specific prohibitions of homosexual practice, such as that of Leviticus 18:22: “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” add to that, Leviticus restatements “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.” (Leviticus 20:13) Thus, this influence still exists within Japanese society today.

 LGBT Issue in Japan

Homosexual marriage have not been legalized in Japan, and those LGBT people are stigmatized and seen as the “other side” by Japanese society. Moreover, the school in Japan is lacking accessible information of sexual identity issues. The Japanese people’s view on LGBT issues in Japan is constructed by education system, and cause many Japanese are lack of knowledge and comprehension on LGBT issues. One of the HRW reports called “The Nail That Sticks Out Gets Hammered Down” state that:

“In Japanese schools, as in wider society, high levels of conformity are expected from young people and children who are different can be deemed ‘damaging’ to group harmony.” (Knight, 2016)

The Japanese government has failed to protect LGBT students from school bullying. Although the LGBT students who tried to report cases of bullying to their teachers, deplorably, they are often faced with a refusal to engage due to impoverished cognition of sexual orientation and gender identity, and they considered it as a taboo topic. Bullying, isolation and misunderstanding are increasingly heated the problem of LGBT student get bullying in school, which leading to high rate of self-harm and suicide amongst LGBT youth.

 “With more than half of those questioned for the study claiming they had no one to turn to, 32 percent admitted to having contemplated suicide, while 22 percent self-harmed.”

(Sid, 2014)

 Nevertheless, not only in school, but also the country’s society itself avoid mentioning the LGBT issue, and increase the gap between LGBT people and “normal” people. Mika Yakushi, a transgender man in Japan who runs the non-profit Tokyo-based LGBT support group ReBit stated that many transgender people in Japan are unsure which gender they should fill in on the job applications form. This can be a painful and discouraging reminder that society seems to reject them. Also, the exaggerated fears and outbreaks of acute anxiety symptoms are by no means a rare phenomenon by broadcasting the misleading message online:

 “A lot of the information online said stuff like ‘you will die at the age of 30 if you take hormones’ or that I wouldn’t be able to live and work in Japan as a trans man. For young people, even if they find a site that doesn’t tell scare stories, it’s mostly the medical side of being LGBT that’s addressed rather than the daily challenges.” (Yakushi, 2016)

 Unfortunately, the point of view of LGBT characters on Japanese TV is not positive and instead they are often made fun and derided of those LGBT people.

 “There are a lot of gay and trans people on TV shows in Japan, but they're often laughed at,” says Yakushi. “A lot of kids see that every day and they think they can behave in the same way towards LGBT kids.” (Yakushi, 2016)

On the other hand, the manga offers a sympathetic look at modern-day young people who grapple with gender identity in a deeply conservative society, to let the Japanese young generation access to the information of LGBT issues.

  Manga brings the LGBT issue on stage

Figure 6. BEST CROSSDRESSER  From http://www.aminoapps.com/page/anime/4800963/best-crossdresser 

In Japan, there are diversity genre of anime and manga regardless to different belief, age or gender. “Cartoons had a huge impact because they look advantage of the new print technologies that allowed for mass communication.” (Mark, 2008) Manga were fabulous entertainment, and people could easily rationalize reading them as a way to learn something new.

All media are constructed, and comic constructed by the author. The media do not simply reflect external reality. Rather, they present carefully crafted constructions that result of many decisions and are the result of many determining factors. Media Literacy works towards deconstructing these construction; taking them apart to show how they are made. Miyazaki who is a famous author, animator and manga artist in Japan, he belief that all Japanese share a certain sense of past is another important focal point. The subtle blending of personal experience into historical “fact” formulates a sense of past that looks and feels familiar to the audience, even though they have never experienced it.

Manga is a powerful tool to broadcast the information or one’s belief, to evokes resonance among readers. The author could write the story which under his idealization, to create an ideal paradise through his imagination. The worldview in the story of manga can be similar with the reality, but not the same. The reader can see their reflection of the reality by reading the manga, to escape from real world. In other word, reading manga is the best medicine for the one who dissatisfied from the reality through the alternative fantasy literature.

 On the other hand, since the homophobia is still exist in Japanese society, many manga artist to take this as a topic with sublimation:

 Sublimation is the transformation of unwanted impulses into something less harmful. This can simply be a distracting release or may be a constructive and valuable piece of work.

 When we are faced with the dissonance of uncomfortable thoughts, we create psychic energy. This has to go somewhere. Sublimation channels this energy away from destructive acts and into something that is socially acceptable and/or creatively effective.

 The author expressed the dissonance of uncomfortable thoughts of the homophobic stigma in Japan, and reflect it on the manga in order to let the reader increase the level of knowledge and change the mindset to confront LGBT issue. Manga are places where transgressive behavior is allowed or lauded and they are long being places where homosexuality love stories are portrayed which let the taboo topic enter Japanese society. One of the manga example of gender-bending topic would be Wandering Son (放浪息子). The manga was successfully breaking the new ground of how Japanese face to the transgender issue.

  Wandering Son『放浪息子』（ほうろうむすこ）

  Figure 7. Hourou musuko ぼくはおんなのこ・放浪息子. イラスト. From http://anime.ap.teacup.com/jump-333-2/5606.html 

Wandering Son, originally published in the 25,000-circulation Comic Beam magazine from 2002 to 2013, adapted into a TV series in 2011, and more than 1 million people read the comic offers a sympathetic look at modern-day young people who grapple with gender identity in a deeply conservative society which broke new ground in a country where transgender people are still labelled as suffering from a mental illness in the form of Gender Identity Disorder.

Figure 8. Hourou musuko ぼくはおんなのこ・放浪息子. イラスト. From http://anime.ap.teacup.com/jump-333-2/5606.html

The story depicts a young student named Shuichi Nitori, described by the author as a boy who wants to be a girl, and Shuichi's friend Yoshino Takatsuki, described as a girl who wants to be a boy. The series deals with issues such as transsexualism, gender identity, and the beginning of puberty. Shimura was originally going to write the story about a girl in high school who wants to be a boy, but she realized that a boy who wants to become a girl before entering puberty would have a lot of worries related to growing up, and changed the story to fit this model. The series has been lauded for its use of gender reversal as the core of the story, though the emotional realism of the young characters has been called into question. - (Wandering Son wiki)

 The popularity of this manga - Wandering Son brings up the transgender issue on stage, and let the Japanese youth cannot neglect of LGBT issues. Furthermore, the manga not only gets the Japanese people confront the LGBT problem, but also have a significant meaning to LGBT youth. Aiko from Osaka describes how important coming across a transgender character in a manga book at 17, it was for coming to terms with being transgender herself.

 “Before reading that comic book, I thought that I was different and I tried to hide it”

“but once I read the comic book I started to think it’s OK to be different and it completely changed how I thought about myself” (Aiko, 2016)

After the Wandering Son was published, there are other manga have follow the suit, to introducing more authentic transgender characters. The young reader was signaling the LGBT problem after they read the manga. The popularity of these series has indicated the readers, to notice some level of acceptance in Japan, and slowly moving into a new phrase, new revolution to LGBT right.

 Conclusion

Figure 9. Homosexuality in Anime.From https://ladyevesidwichblog.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/homosexuality-in-anime/comment-page-1/

Japan’s current view on homosexuality is one based on Western and Christian influence and discourse tracing back to the Meiji Restoration. Because of these surviving influences homosexuals are still marginalized in Japanese society.

 Manga and anime is an alternative fantasy literature, and there is no restriction to limit the author’s creativity. The author of Wandering Son is transformed the dissonant reality of LGBT into his manga, and broadcasted the information and message of LGBT to the youth positively. The fact that it’s read widely at every level of Japanese society and that people have respect for their manga heroes makes it an effective vehicle for delivering positive messages and giving LGBT issues substance and respect.

Figure 10. Boy’s Love. From http://www.aiheaven.com 

“In fact, manga and anime provide such accessible media for young people to explore an alternative world free of society’s prejudices that the Human Rights Watch has created its own manga series.” (Alice, 2016)

 Although the homophobic stigma is still existing in Japan nowadays, the rate of acceptance on homosexuality is apparently increasing in past 5 years. The changes signified that manga’s portrayal of LGBT characters seem to reflect a general change in Japanese society’s attitudes to the LGBT community. As more and more of LGBT manga were being published, this popular media would lead to the friendly community of LGBT in the future under the harmonious circumstance between different genre of people.

  Citations:

[AFP news agency]. (2016, May, 6). Japan schools 'hostile' to LGBT students, says rights group . [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LALTJJyO2js.   Boomers to Millennials: Generational Attitudes. (n.d.). Retrieved April 01, 2017, from http://finance.youngmoney.com/careers/boomers-to-millennials-generational-attitudes/   D. (2016, September 02). How manga is guiding Japan's youth on LGBT issues. Retrieved April 09, 2017, from http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/32647/1/how-manga-is-guiding-japan-s-youth-on-lgbt-issues   Furnham, A., & Saito, K. (2009). A Cross-Cultural Study of Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About, Male Homosexuality. Journal of Homosexuality, 56(3), 299-318. doi:10.1080/00918360902728525   Hawkins, Joseph. “Japan’s Journey into Homophobia.” The Gay and Lesbian Review. Boston: Jan. 31, 2000. Vol. 7, Iss. 1; pg. 36.   [HumanRightsWatch]. (2016, Jul, 8). LGBT Students Bullied in Japan . [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVUyw8Pob68.   Jñanavira, D. (2001). HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE JAPANESE BUDDHIST TRADITION. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.westernbuddhistreview.com/vol3/homosexuality.html   Julie, R. (2013). Desire: The Influence of Japanese Manga. Desire: The Influence of Japanese Manga, 81-86. Retrieved April 4, 2017, from https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/bitstream/handle/10072/58289/90914_1.pdf;jsessionid=B6B668D88A15CF2A7D03CA2FB47B89CD?sequence=1.   The LGBT rights movement is gaining recognition -- and allies -- across Asia. (2016, March 24). Retrieved April 06, 2017, from http://asia.nikkei.com/magazine/20160324-WHAT-DOES-IT-MEAN-FOR-ASIA/On-the-Cover/The-LGBT-rights-movement-is-gaining-recognition-and-allies-across-Asia?page=2

[jesliey]

Henlo you stinki poop. Go do all the asks, you stinki boi.

OH

alright boiz lets do this... *cracks knuckles*

under the cut because this gonna be fuckin long...

200: My crush’s name is:

Her name is Lucy, and she is really amazing, and thank fuck she doesnt have a tumblr...

199: I was born in: 

1996 BABEY

198: I am really:

Three gnomes in a trenchcoat.

197: My cellphone company is:

Telus, and im less than thrilled about that....bare minimum passable service at best

196: My eye color is:

Blue-grey ish

195: My shoe size is:

Depends on where i go, but generally 12 - 13~

194: My ring size is:

Oh fuck man i dont remember...i think i was 10.5 when i got mine fitted??

193: My height is:

6′3″~

192: I am allergic to:

Pet hair and dander mostly...nothing to the point of lethality, just making me wish it was...

191: My 1st car was:

Still dont own my first car, but if i had a choice of anything itd be a custom 1985 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

190: My 1st job was:

First paying? Retail. Hated it, drove a forklift without a licence, got fired. Whoop.

189: Last book you read:

Not from start to finish, but i started Prison School a while ago

188: My bed is:

A single. Aint got that much room in student housing my guy...

187: My pet:

@vocoterra​

186: My best friend:

@vocoterra​

185: My favorite shampoo is:

Im a tresemme boi. Love me some silky smooth hair

184: Xbox or ps3:

PC

183: Piggy banks are:

Pretty much nonexistent in this house i think....

182: In my pockets:

This question is reserved for someone wearing pants

181: On my calendar:

I have a calendar?

180: Marriage is:

Optional

179: Spongebob can:

Live on forever in my heart, but i know it peaked at Band Geeks...

178: My mom:

Is short and angry and im lov her

177: The last three songs I bought were?

>bought

176: Last YouTube video watched:

175: How many cousins do you have?

Im Polish....its a lot....

174: Do you have any siblings?

2 step sisters, and a half sister!

173: Are your parents divorced?

Yup

172: Are you taller than your mom?

Yeah but thats not saying much...

171: Do you play an instrument?

170: What did you do yesterday?

Did computer maintenance for an hour, went to the gym with Lucy, came home and had realtalk with my upstairs neighbor for like 3 hours. It was a good day :D

[ I Believe In ]169: Love at first sight:

Ehhh not really....attraction at first sight? Oh fuck yeah. Infatuation? Absolutely, but not love. Its two ways of knowing and understanding for each person involved, and a first meeting wont provide that.

168: Luck:

Randomness and chance is just not being far enough back to see all of the factors that come into play to influence an outcome. Those concepts only exist to explain something that cannot be currently understood.

167: Fate:

Not really. Choices and actions continuously influence the paths that everyone takes, and theres no such thing as not making a choice. Fate is all a matter of having the wisdom to discern which choices you want to make to reach a certain path. #deep

166: Yourself:

Fuck no that guys an asshole

165: Aliens:

In an infinite universe where we have no concept of its true size? I find it incredibly arrogant to assume that we live on the ONLY planet capable of hosting life out of something so infinite. #IWantToBelieve

164: Heaven:

Nah. I wont believe in anything until i can see it for myself.

163: Hell:

See above ^

162: God:

Im agnostic at best...if there is a “God” then they have a lot to answer for. Because they are either omnipotent or benevolent. I refuse to believe that a god can be both.

161: Horoscopes:

Its a nice little thought piece to pass the time, but i feel like human choices and actions shape personalities better than relative time of birth ever could

160: Soul mates:

Everyone is their own person with thoughts, feelings, responsibilities, and aspirations. Finding someone who is in every sense perfectly aligned with another in terms of “soul mates” is unlikely. Its all a spectrum of how well lifestyles can mesh.

159: Ghosts:

Nah fam.

158: Gay Marriage:

Spoiler Alert: Gay Marriage Is Just Marriage Between People Who Happen To Be Gay

157: War:

Its a reality, and as much as i hate it, due to human nature it is inevitable and almost necessary. War will never go away.

156: Orbs:

ＯＲＢＳ

155: Magic:

Its a term historically used to explain what cannot conventionally be explained. As soon as there is documentation and explanation, then it becomes a science and it can be studied.[ This or That ]

154: Hugs or Kisses:

I like me some huggin....

153: Drunk or High:

Both? Both....both is good. Gotta be careful with it though

152: Phone or Online:

Online mang

151: Red heads or Black haired:

I MEAN WHY CHOOSE??

150: Blondes or Brunettes:

I usually enjoy brunette more than blonde...

149: Hot or cold:

You can always put on more layers, but you can only take off so much before its a felony

148: Summer or winter:

Winter. Hot cocoa BITCHES~

147: Autumn or Spring:

Autumn season = Best season

146: Chocolate or vanilla:

I like me some vanilla

145: Night or Day:

Imma night owls ngl

144: Oranges or Apples:

Tough choice, but i love me some citrus

143: Curly or Straight hair:

yes

142: McDonalds or Burger King:

Wendy’s. Fight Me.

141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate:

White, but only in select quantities...

140: Mac or PC:

PC, but if more programs and games had support id choose linux

139: Flip flops or high heals:

Neither...im more of a work boot kind of guy...

138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor:

Jokes on you bud im ugly AND poor!

Ugly and rich tho. I can pay to fix my fucked up appearance, and youre damn right id use my money to fix up my town

137: Coke or Pepsi:

BEPIS BABEY YEAH

136: Hillary or Obama:

Remember when Obama reconciled with Japan for the dropping of nuclear ordinance on Hiroshima and also thanked them for anime? That was pretty damn cool of him.

I mean Hillary dabs though so i mean theres that

135: Burried or cremated:

Cremated. Not necessarily when i die. Just whenever. Surprise me.

134: Singing or Dancing:

Singing...i cant dance...

Cant do either, but at least i feel a bit better about my voice...

133: Coach or Chanel:

I dont understand the question....

132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks:

Wasnt a huge Taylor fan....Kat by default

131: Small town or Big city:

Both are nice, but i think i like the idea of disappearing in a big city more than the peace of a small town.

130: Wal-Mart or Target:

Im Canadian, so Walmart it is

129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler:

Owen Wilson. Your move.

128: Manicure or Pedicure:

I dont remember which one is which, so whichever one does feet. My hands see frequent use, and it would not last.

127: East Coast or West Coast:

East Coast. Vancouver is the only thing the west has going for it in my eyes

126: Your Birthday or Christmas:

Birthday. I like having a day just all to myself. No one is gonna take that from me.

125: Chocolate or Flowers:

Ehhhh both are really temporary...wanna get me a gift that lasts? Make it a really cool looking sword

124: Disney or Six Flags:

DIDNEY WORL

123: Yankees or Red Sox:

[ Here’s What I Think About ]122: War:

Its unclean at best, its inevitable, and its almost certainly necessary.

121: George Bush:

By comparison right now his administration is looking pretty good

120: Gay Marriage:

Completely legal and totally socially acceptable. The fact that its an issue is baffling to say the least.

119: The presidential election:

You guys elected the annoying orange so you tell me

118: Abortion:

Her body, her choice, end of discussion. Die mad about it.

117: MySpace:

An artifact of an internet age gone by...

116: Reality TV:

If i wanted to watch peoples daily lives, there are vlogs out there that are a thousand times more genuine than anything ive seen on network television

115: Parents:

They should do their absolute best to raise their child to be better than them. The next generation should always be pushed to be able to leave the world better than the previous generation did. Thats how humanity evolves.

114: Back stabbers:

Pretty sure theres a circle in hell dedicated entirely to them according to The Divine Comedy

113: Ebay:

Never tried it, but it has its uses.

112: Facebook:

Not worth my time.

111: Work:

All just to fuel my long term expensive hobby of making swords.

110: My Neighbors:

For most of them, completely indifferent. Theres a lady upstairs who is really nice.

109: Gas Prices:

Now i dont drive anymore, but theyre ridiculous...

108: Designer Clothes:

Completely unnecessary, and feeding the bougie capitalist machine, but I NEED THEM. I WANNA LOOK GOOD.

107: College:

Its hell, and im stuck there...

106: Sports:

SPORTS

SPORTBALL

105: My family:

At the end of the day they should be the people that you can fall back to no matter what.

104: The future:

Tired and jaded as to what it can bring. I survived 2016 so anything that is yet to come might as well happen.[ Last time I ]103: Hugged someone:

Its been a couple weeks....for someone who very much enjoys physical affection im actually pretty shy and touch starved....

102: Last time you ate:

Yesterday at about 4 ish...i should really eat something...

101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile:

Yesterday actually! I dont get to see my old highschool friends too often, so im glad i went to see one yesterday

100: Cried in front of someone:

Oh fuck its been a while...came close last night, but not quite.

99: Went to a movie theater:

Probably to go see Rogue One....I enjoyed it at the time, but its a bad Star Wars movie. I cant remember a single thing about it.

98: Took a vacation:

OH FUCK ITS BEEN A WHILE I DONT EVEN REMEMBER

97: Swam in a pool:

Years at the very least...

96: Changed a diaper:

Never...I was an only child growing up, and i never babysat

95: Got my nails done:

Ehhhh like a year or so?

94: Went to a wedding:

A couple months ago! Thats probably the last time i cried in front of someone actually!

93: Broke a bone:

Never broken a bone before, and im not about to start

92: Got a peircing:

You could not pay me enough money to have someone jab needles through my flesh

91: Broke the law:

I pirate frequently so like maybe a day or two

90: Texted:

While i was writing this[ MISC ]89: Who makes you laugh the most:

Oh prolly @vocoterra

88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is:

The comfort of being at home...i like going out, but nothing else feels like home

87: The last movie I saw:

Pass Thru by Neil Breen...i was stoned out of my gourd when i saw it, so i knew it was either gonna make perfect sense or none at all, but what i didnt expect was for it to do both at the same time

86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most:

Im going to see Nightwish in a couple weeks so thatll be really fun!

85: The thing im not looking forward to:

Midterms are still going on...

84: People call me:

By my name usually

83: The most difficult thing to do is:

Pee with a boner. Prove me wrong. Ill wait.

82: I have gotten a speeding ticket:

Not a speeding ticket, but i did get a ticket for going too fast passing a fresh accident

81: My zodiac sign is:

Cancer

80: The first person i talked to today was:

In person? My landlords wife came by for a viewing, but i talked to the nice lady living upstairs over snapchat first

79: First time you had a crush:

The first one that comes to mind was a girl i was in daycare with growing up named Tori. I dont really remember what happened to her, but i guess she moved away.

78: The one person who i can’t hide things from:

Thats the thing. I can hide things from everyone. Most of the time i dont because im bad at lying, but there are a lot of things i will take to my grave. Most of them dont even involve me directly.

77: Last time someone said something you were thinking:

Last night when the upstairs neighbor came down to talk. Its kind of odd how on-the-same-page we were about a lot of the things we talked about

76: Right now I am talking to:

Neighbor lady. She has a date today and shes pretty nervous and wants someone to talk it out with.

75: What are you going to do when you grow up:

Hopefully be less of a mess of hot garbage, but ill settle for freelance software developer and occasional swordsmith

74: I have/will get a job:

Ive found work pretty reliably through temp agencies. Theres never a shortage of manual labour that needs to be done.

73: Tomorrow:

Is saturday. Whats the question?

72: Today:

Is friday. I have a game to go to in about 30 mins.

71: Next Summer:

Ill hopefully be doing an IT internship if my parents can pull some strings at their work. Ill see what happens.

70: Next Weekend:

Nothing major going on i think...

69: I have these pets:

@vocoterra

68: The worst sound in the world:

@vocoterra

67: The person that makes me cry the most is:

Ehh im pretty emotionally calloused by this point...i think itll take a lot to make me cry

66: People that make you happy:

Friends from highschool. @vocoterra. Some of my newer college friends. Definitely my parents.

65: Last time I cried:

Wasnt this asked already? Pretty sure it was a wedding.

64: My friends are:

Gay dumbasses

63: My computer is:

RIPPED AS HELL AND CUSTOM BUILT

62: My School:

Its kinda shitty

61: My Car:

Nonexistent

60: I lose all respect for people who:

Commit sexual assault.

59: The movie I cried at was:

Bridge to Terabithia....dont lie you did too

58: Your hair color is:

Light brown/dirty blonde ish?

57: TV shows you watch:

The Netflix Marvel TV series’

I was a particular fan of Luke Cage

56: Favorite web site:

9 times outta 10 itll be youtube. Theres just everything to watch there.

55: Your dream vacation:

Scotland highlands, rural Japan, or urban Poland

54: The worst pain I was ever in was:

Depression

53: How do you like your steak cooked:

Medium rare like god intended

52: My room is:

Reasonably tidy i think...got a few things lying around that i should pick up

51: My favorite celebrity is:

Taliesin Jaffe. I hold an immense respect for him.

50: Where would you like to be:

Anywhere where im not writing this honestly....

49: Do you want children:

Yes, but i will never father my own. There are too many genetic fuck ups for me to want to pass this on.

48: Ever been in love:

No. Thought i was a couple times, but its supposed to be reciprocated. It never was, therefore I never have been.

47: Who’s your best friend:

I tagged him like 4 times in this post already it should be obvious

46: More guy friends or girl friends:

Pretty even split i think

45: One thing that makes you feel great is:

Coming back after home after the gym. Just the relaxation of it is unforgettable.

44: One person that you wish you could see right now:

No one in particular at this moment. Im heading out to see friends in a few minutes so im enjoying alone time

43: Do you have a 5 year plan:

Farthest i really go is about 2

42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die:

Nope. If i start, it wont end. Theres too much that the world has to offer, so ill just find what i like as i go.

41: Have you pre-named your children:

I did. Thats never happening though.

40: Last person I got mad at:

Last night i remembered some of the more racist shit that some of my friends can just get away with in that particular group and i genuinely fucking hate it.

39: I would like to move to:

Maybe somewhere in Germany. The only place i can think of in Canada would be Vancouver, but even then ehhh...

38: I wish I was a professional:

Ass Eater

[ My Favorites ]

ＬＩＧＨＴＮＩＮＧ ＲＯＵＮＤ

37: Candy: Coffee Crisp36: Vehicle: 1985 Pontiac Trans Am35: President: Obama34: State visited: Tennessee 33: Cellphone provider: Wind32: Athlete: Shiho Yoshimura31: Actor: Taliesin Jaffe30: Actress: Laura Bailey29: Singer: Rob Swire28: Band: Sabaton27: Clothing store: Mark’s Work Warehouse26: Grocery store: Food Basics25: TV show: JJBA24: Movie: The Boondock Saints or American history X23: Website: Youtube22: Animal: Potoo Bird21: Theme park: Canada’s Wonderland20: Holiday: SPOOKYWEEN19: Sport to watch: CSGO18: Sport to play: Sportball17: Magazine: I dont read maagazines...16: Book: 198415: Day of the week: Thursday14: Beach: Whichever is the closest one to where i live. Theyre all far away...13: Concert attended: Soon Nightwish! :D12: Thing to cook: SPAGEDDY11: Food: Sushi10: Restaurant: Pho Dau Bo9: Radio station: My phones music library8: Yankee candle scent: Anything lavender7: Perfume: I prefer cologne...6: Flower: Lavenders and Lilacs5: Color: Royal Blue4: Talk show host: Uhhh...3: Comedian: Bo Burnham2: Dog breed: Corgi or Samoyed1: Did you answer all these truthfully: Fuck yeah i did

[techjobwall]

30 Interesting Facts About Germany - Germany Startup Jobs

http://www.germanystartupjobs.com/30-interesting-facts-germany/

30 Interesting Facts About Germany

If you think you know the country Germany all so well, you need to think twice, here in this article, I will be giving out 30 solid facts that you may not know about Germany.

Germany happens to be one of the world leaders in Energy and Climate Policies: 33% of the country now lives on renewable energy. In 2011 they came to a consensus to shut down all nuclear stations by the year 2022. They have plans to replace them with renewable energies and storage for electricity.

A homosexual is allowed to adopt in Germany: It is illegal to criticize or discriminate a gay or lesbian in Germany. Also, berlin happens to be the third biggest gay city in the whole of Europe with a total of about 300,000 homosexuals. The German legislation allows on civil union for homosexuals and not marriage. Also, they are only allowed ‘successive adoption’. They can’t adopt as a couple, but the can both adopt the same child individually.

The biggest folk festival in the world is in Munich Oktoberfest: It all stated in 1810 when crown Prince Ludwig celebrated his wedding to Princess Terese on the 12th of October. The festival actually starts in the last week of September, and this is one festival where the beer never runs out.

In 2012, Angela Merkel became the second most powerful person in the world: She has already occupied the position of most powerful woman in the world. Then in 2012, Forbes magazine named her the second most powerful person in the world. She has occupied the position of German chancellor since 2005. In 2009, Mattel created a Barbie doll of Angela Merkel to celebrate Barbie’s 50th anniversary.

Smoking in public places is illegal but drinking is legal: in the year 2007, it was passed into law that citizens must not smoke in public places, buildings and on public transport. You can only drink alcohol in public.

Germany ranks second in the league of beer consumers in Europe: Sequel to Czech Republic, Germany happens to be the second biggest consumer of beer in Europe. In the year 2013, Germany consumed a total of 2.55 billion gallons of beer, this happens to be the lowest since 1990. Germany has over 1200 breweries and over 5000 different brands of beer.

Germany is a world leading book nation: Germany publishes about 94,000 books annually. German poet and theologian Johann Rist was the author of one of the first magazines to be published (Erbauliche Monaths-Unterredungen). Germany also happens to have one of the most important book publishing events in the world; the International Frankfurt Book fair.

Germany as the most cultural places and activities in the world: In Germany, more people attend exhibitions rather than football matches. Germany has more art galleries, museums, and exhibition halls than any other country in the world. As at 2013, Germany has 8,800 libraries, 130 professional orchestras, 820 theatres, and 6,200 museums.

Germany ranks high in largest car manufacturers in the world: Germany happens to be the manufacturers of the following popular brands of cars; Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Volks Wagen. In 2015, Germany sold a total of 6million cars.

SME’s make up about 52% of Germany’s total economy: The number of work force for these SMEs sum unto about 14million people. Research shows that 4 out of every 5 trainees work in SMEs. Research also shows that 99% of German companies are SMEs (Small and Medium- sized Enterprise).

Germany has the strongest economy in EU: Germany has excelled in so many fields including having a solid and formidable economy with a GDP of $3.84trillion. They are also the number 4 in the world behind the US, china and Japan.

Germany has very low unemployment rate: In 2015, Germany adopted a minimum wage system. Men work mostly full-time, while women mostly with children usually work part-time. Research show that, as at 2016; Youth unemployment rate was at 7.7%, normal unemployment rate was at 4.2%, and more than 50% of people (43.3million) with the age grade of 15-64 were under employment.

Germany has a formidable educational system: Following the OECD’s PISA scale, students in Germany score higher than average. Unlike the 74.2% in the EU, 86% of adults in Germany between 25-64years have a minimum of a high school diploma.

Germany has the largest zoo in the world: Berlin’s Zoologischer Garten happens to be the largest zoo in the world. In addition to having the largest zoo in the world, Germany also have more than 400 registered zoos and about 700 facilities. These facilities include; safari parks, animal reserves, bird parks, aquariums, wildlife parks, and zoological gardens.

Germany has a high life expectancy rate: The Global AgeWatch Index 2015 ranked Germany 4th out of 96 countries for best countries for the elderly people and their well-being. Over 26% of the country’s population is above the age of 60. Life expectancy in Germany is 83 for men and 78 for women.

Germany tops EU population chart: Currently Germany has a population of about 80.9 million; this population however is in decline. UN predict for this to drop to about 67 million by 2060. 40% of houses in Germany are single-person households. Germany also has one of the lowest birthrates in the world.

Some of the most popular inventions in the world are credited to Germans: Invention such as these can be accredited to the Germans; LCD screen, Walkman, jet engine, motorcycle, automobile engine, differential gear, insulin, pocket watch, paraffin, light bulb, automated calculator, and automobile.

Germany has the second most Punctual Large airport in the world: The Airport in Munich happens to be the second most punctual airport in the world, sequel to the Tokyo airport. This report comes from OAG.

Germany is also famous for thinkers and poets: Germany can boast of the following people; Beethoven, Goethe, and Bach. Composers such as; R. Strauss, Handel, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Wagner, and Brahms. Also, these great philosophers were also Germans; Heidegger, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Hegel, and Kant.

Germany has changed its capital seven times: Germany’s capital city has moved between these cities till date; Aachen (during the Carolingian Empire), Regensburg, Frankfurt-am-Main, Nuremberg, Berlin, and Weimar (unofficially, during unrest in Berlin), Bonn (and East Berlin), and, since 1990, Berlin again.

The German language has the most native speakers in Europe: In addition to being the most populated county in the EU, they also have the highest number of people speaking a native language in Europe. The German language was the once the lingua franca for central, eastern and northern Europe.

Germany was formerly a group of small kingdoms, and duchies: 300 crown princes’ came together to form what we know today as Germany in 1648. This was called the “Peace of West Phalia”. In 1701 the name was changed to Prussia, in 1815 the name was changed to Germanic confederation, and in 1871 it was changed to German confederation

Germany consumes over 800million Currywurst annually: This special sausage usually served with a spicy sauce has become a tradition in Germany today. The city of berlin alone consumes over 7 million Currywurst annually. The love for this snack moved the Germans to create a museum for it.

Higher education is free in Germany even for foreigners: In the year 2014, the German confederation passed a bill into law. Bachelor’s degree for all public universities was going to be free of charge. The politicians thought it to be socially unjust to have to pay for higher education.

The Second World War led to the origination of Fanta in Germany: The trade embargo during the Second World War which stopped the importing of Coca-Cola led the head of Coca-Cola in Germany to make a another drink making use of leftover materials such as apple pomace and whey. This drink is what we know as Fanta today.

The country Germany has a right to pick what name you give your child: According to the German constitution, you cannot give your child a name that doesn’t belong to a gender; neither can you use a family name as first name. As at 2014, Sophie and Maximillian were the most popular names for children in Germany.

It’s a criminal offence to run out of fuel in the German Autobahn: You can be fined or receive as much as a 6months license suspension if you are park on the highway because of an empty tank. It is also a criminal offence to run or walk on the highway. You would pay as much as 90Euros as fine.

It is Legal to break out of jail in Germany: In Germany, prisoners have the right to break out of jail, as it is not a criminal offence to escape jail. But if you damage any property, or injure anybody during the course of their escape.

Berlin has more bridges than Venice: The capital city of berlin has the biggest water network in Europe. Berlin has around 180km of mobile water, 59.8 square kilometer of water. Research also shows that the city of berlin has 960 bridges.

Germany pioneered the Daylight Saving Time (DST): The DST first occurred during the World War 1 in 1916. It was actually put in place to preserve energy. It is also called Summer Time.

What am I missing here? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add it in!