‘Minority Tax’ in Japan

It seems Japanese politicians- especially conservative men- think LGBT+ minorities ‘enjoy life’ which are ‘free’ from ordinary lives.

Okay now that’s a huge mistake from my point of view as a blackanese lady living in Japan. Minorities in Japan pay much more cost for being minorities than majorities.

I once was told by a black guy that black people have to pay black tax as they would be seen ghetto if they don’t pay for their looks. That remark made me realise the situation is kind of similar to my little brother and I have experienced.

I was bullied at Japanese school for my natural hair, so I begged my mother for a flat iron (which was not a easy thing for a single mom with 2 kids at the time) and woke up very early to make my hair straight as possible before heading to school.

Same with my brother, my mother had to purchase school backpacks to match with others, games, toys, etc to prevent getting bullied. He even stopped speaking English because his classmates would tease him for speaking foreign language. He was heavily bullied, sometimes sent to a hospital. In the end, he barely went to middle school.

What is more, transgender people in Japan have to have surgery to be considered transitioned and change their legal sex.

I mean, this is minority tax. We pay more than we need to fit in.

So… when Chihiro said ‘I want our child’, I couldn’t respond positively. I don’t want my child to go through the things I did in this Japanese society. That’s so cruel to the child. I had to denied her offer. She seemed sad.

So…. Japanese politicians should first change the society to a place where diversity is accepted everywhere. Not only LGBT+ people but also ALL Japanese citizens can live freely.
PLEASE DO IT. NOW.