I have no comment on this.

Hey thanks :D I'd love to, but unfortunately the reason some ignoramus like you are still alive is because it's illegal to kill them :laugh

So, for now you're safe in your things-are-too-good-for-the-gays little world :)

I'm actually of the same view with you; it's an orientation and nothing to be 'proud' about. But unfortunately the world hasn't been taking kindly to the gays, so much so that gay 'pride' should exist. I'd love to live in a world where all orientations are equally accepted, thereby making no reason for pride of either of them, but until then I think any message relaying that some-things-are-too-good-for-the-gays would add to gay opposition, if not oppression.

And I think it's now clear how harmful that person's view is. S/he's "not against gay", but some things are just too good for them. That's like saying s/he's against slavery, but freedom is too much for the slaves :yes

Well I think this is a good thing for Ayu, but the song itself is pretty horrible. But no complains anymore :D

great,there was two prides in Japan this year

wish Ayu could have attended since I don't think ANY Japanese celebs has ever been really supportive of gay rights in Japan

proud of Ayu \o/

Damn, I wish I could be there!

HBYA is a perfect choice, it fits amazingly. Ahh, such great news!

proud of ayu (c)

Wow the news made it on Singapore local newspaper Straits Times
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_793843.html

I think she should've temporarily renamed "Party queen" to "Party queens" and used that instead :laugh

Eww, please **** off. No one wants you here.

Agree with this, sooo much. Even in this modern age, people all around the world are being persecuted and killed for their sexual orientation. Teenage LGBT suicide is 4 times higher than heterosexual teenagers.

Here's a cite from wiki for those who want statistics:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_among_LGBT_youth


From my personal experience, you don't usually get someone who is LGBT who will verbally abuse or attack a straight person. But the opposite happens every day, all over the world. And it keeps happening.


So yeah, be pedantic and say its nothing to be proud of if you think so. But I believe everyone who is LGBT has the right to be proud of their sexual orientation and shouldn't be persecuted becasue of it. Its not just about saying "we're here, we're proud", it's about making others aware of the suffering and hate that they have to put up with.

Go lobby someone for a straight parade if you want to, but I think you'll get laughed out of the building. :innocent

Thank you :)

I said in my last post that Koda Kumi has stated very clearly that she is supportive of gay rights.

EDIT: Also, to those who have been saying mean things to the person who made a homophobic comment earlier, stop it. They have a right to their opinion, even if you or I don't agree. But don't say things like "go die", because that's just stooping to their level and making the gay community look bad. You're only reinforcing their beliefs. An eye for an eye is not the answer.

and that is very evident in her works :yes

I find that, though, saying it is entirely different from acting that way in PVs or in concerts. For example, there is a model for a Japanese magazine called Happie Nuts who is obviously a lesbian. She fits the North American stereotype very well. However, when she came out a few months ago people in Japan were shocked. Readers seemed to think that she adopted the style because she liked the look. Using gay themes in Japan really means nothing, I find. I hope that Ayu comes out and explicitly states that she supports the gay community. It pretty obvious to us, sure, but in Japan she could be viewed as just being a diva and using gay themes for shock value.

Best post of the whole thread. Couldn't agree more with you.

Anyway hbya is such a perfect choice for the Gay Pride. And I love that song :heart

I think you have to also understand that what is Gay in america or somewhere else is not the same case in japan or asia for that matter.
I mean rainbows and cute things are not considered gay in japan, where as in america the rainbow is a symbol for gay people.

you just have to look at the culture. Just because you dress a certain way and act a certain way does not mean you are gay.

Rainbows are a symbol for homosexuality in Japan though. Not exclusively, but it isn't exclusively a symbol for that in Western culture either. Now a rainbow flag would be a symbol of only homosexuality - in both cultures.

The overall point is something I agree with, just wanted to point that out ;)

There was this blog about lgbt life in Japan, (I belive based on videos and photos, as I don't speak japanese) it was mostly focused on gay rights, prejudice and stuff. You could easily find posts about Ayu there since Green PV was released. Anyway, Ayu is embracing the gay community on a very japanese way, recording videos on the gay district, having a gay pornstar on her videos and displaying homoerotism on her work for some time now (stuff like A Ballads cover, Rainbow PV and TA Limited Concert already had it). She is also running way from yaoi/yuri models when covering it, what is good cuz those are aesthetics mainly aimed to straight women.

She also openly said she is supportive of the LGBT community at least twice on Twiter, one of those 2 being a support message to this parade this thread is about^^

I personally prefer the way Ayu touches this time than Koda, BTW, as Koda tends to have hints of fetishism on her lesbian-friendly videos, what sometimes can make it looks like she is just using her sexy persona... In the end of the day, GLS officially was changed for LGBT cuz gay women were mostly ignored or treated as a fetish by media. Still, the fact that Koda openly supports it is amazing in itself, whatever the way she decides to shows this.

I think it's more like, 'I'm proud of who I am' rather than proud in the sense that you accomplished something. When you live in a society that forces shame on you for something so natural, of course you're going to be proud to be gay. When society changes maybe your argument would have more merit but just to say "accept it and move on" is a little insensitive, don't you think?

^ Yeah, its about being proud of who you are...
it has nothing to do with who your sleeping with.

But I do disagree with the fact that just accept it and move on is being insensitive since you just said when society changes it might be different. In order for society to accept it as a whole they have to accept it and move on.

Besides... Straight Day is like, everyday... lol...

Personally, I see both sides. I was never one to consider someone special just because they were a minority of some sort. And being gay is just another one of those.

It's just like when my friends are being all crazy feminist and I'm just like "yeah uh huh sure." Then they tell me I'm helping sexism or something...


But anyways, I'm not really one to rain on people's parades...lol Of course we shouldn't have a need for the pride...but I think the harm from having it is less than if we didn't...so...you know, the world isn't perfect. We can't have everything just so.

If having gay pride parades means that maybe our society accepts homosexuality even just a tiny bit more...I'll take that over nothing lol And if it means that people feel more accepted and proud about who they are...why would I take that away from them?

The day people stop being proud for this kind of thing, is the day that people also stop being proud of the other little societal divisions, like ethnicity and gender, class, etc. We're not going to be there any time soon.

Yeah but it's one thing to brag about how special you are because you're a minority and another thing to love yourself for who you are despite how society treats you. And you're right emi, why take away an atmosphere where people can escape the harsh reality of the world they live in and love themselves? People are equal, yes. But not everyone is treated equally this day and age and pride events such as this are necessary to remind troubled gays that there is a place where they can go and be proud of who they are. :shrug