LGBT JAPAN 2020: The Path to Rainbow Companies [6]"Let's expand the circle of allies!" ~ALLY CIRCLE~
This year, Japan's largest LGBT festival, "Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2018" (TRP), was held across various locations in Tokyo from April 28 to May 6.
Tokyo Rainbow Pride is a festival celebrating the diversity of "gender" and "life," aiming to realize a society where sexual minorities, including LGBT individuals, can live more authentically and positively without facing discrimination or prejudice.
This year's theme was "LOVE & EQUALITY: Equality for All Love." It embodies the desire not for special rights or privileges, but for the fundamental equality of treating everyone equally, ensuring that the disadvantages are eliminated, and allowing people to freely love whom they choose.
Madoka Yagi from Dentsu Inc. Diversity Lab (DDL) brings you a report on Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2018!
Record-breaking turnout! Total attendance surpassed 150,000!
According to organizers, the main event, the "Pride Festival" (May 5-6) held at Yoyogi Park Event Plaza, drew a total of 140,000 visitors over two days. This set a new record.
The parade on the 6th also saw a record 7,000 participants. Combined with attendance at other events during the period, the total turnout reached a massive 152,000 people.
A notable trend in recent years is the increase in corporate booths. Companies like Seven & i Holdings, PlayStation (SIE), BizReach, and JT made their first appearances. Many companies, even those still developing internal and external diversity initiatives, exhibited to use the TRP event as an opportunity to raise internal awareness.
Overall, the number of sponsoring companies and organizations also reflects this growing momentum, rising from 194 last year to 213 this year. The number of parade float applications (parade entries by companies/organizations) for the parade held on the 6th also increased from 23 to 37, demonstrating the proactive stance of participating companies and organizations.
The grand finale on the 6th featured a special live performance by singer Ayumi Hamasaki, symbolizing the recent trend of increasing public figures declaring themselves allies. On stage, she delivered a powerful performance alongside a message supporting the spirit of Rainbow Pride, energizing the venue.
※An ally is someone who understands LGBT and other sexual minority individuals, takes action within their capacity, and offers support (derived from "Ally" = ally, comrade).
"Let's Expand the Circle of Allies!" ~ ALLY CIRCLE ~
This year marked Dentsu Inc. Diversity Lab's fourth exhibition, themed "Let's Expand the Circle of Allies." Titled "ALLY CIRCLE," the initiative involved professional photographers taking commemorative photos of participants declaring their allyship, encouraging the sharing of these photos.
Previously, Dentsu Inc. Diversity Lab featured "GET! A-License!" under the theme "Become an Ally" in 2016, and "Me MEDAL factory" under the theme "Be Your Own Ally" in 2017. This year, we planned this theme to convey the message of expanding the circle of allies together.
Photographer Shinya Murai volunteered his time to support the project and energized the photo sessions.
At the booth, participants entered a rainbow circle we created, named "ALLY CIRCLE," and took photos together. Of course, solo photos were also welcome.
The catchphrase was "Ally Circle!" Participants shouted "Wah!" in unison with Murai-san's call. This chant brought smiles to everyone's faces.
Photos taken were made available for download online for free use. We asked people to share them using the hashtag "#JoinTheAllyCircle," and we saw some actually posting their photos on social media after the shoot.
Some participants didn't know the term "Ally." When we explained that all it takes is a willingness to understand minority groups, they responded, "Then maybe I can do that," and joined in. Many members of the LGBTQ+ community also took photos with their partners or friends, expressing their commitment to spreading allyship.
The phrase everyone at the venue kept repeating was, "There are so many people!" You could really feel the growing interest in sexual minorities, including LGBT, year after year.
Listening to their stories, first-time visitors shared thoughts like, "My partner works in LGBT-related fields, so I came along to learn," or "It's just a fun event, and it's a great chance to see the spirit of different companies." Thinking about LGBT issues itself seems to be becoming more commonplace.
On the other hand, one individual directly affected shared, "While it's great to see the event thriving, doesn't that still imply treating minorities as something special? I wish LGBT existence could just be more ordinary."
A phase demanding more action
Indeed, terms like LGBT, sexual minorities, and diversity are heard far more frequently in Japan now than just a few years ago, and various issues are being discussed. The success of this year's Tokyo Rainbow Pride clearly reflects this trend. However, many individuals and companies still express, "We're interested in LGBT issues, but we don't know how to take concrete action." Perhaps we've now entered a phase where each person must start considering what specific actions they can take.
These actions don't have to be complicated. You could start with something simple, like wearing rainbow merchandise to show your allyship, learning about LGBT issues, or finding more people to discuss these topics with.
What we must not forget is that diversity isn't just an issue for some people; it's everyone's issue. Becoming aware of your own individuality and sexuality, and striving to understand the lives of others around you—even if you can't understand 100%—might just lead you to your next action.
DDL will continue proposing diverse solutions from a Diversity & Inclusion perspective, aiming to build a society where everyone can live comfortably, recognizing that everyone possesses some form of minority identity.
● Dentsu Inc. Diversity Lab (DDL)
Based on the belief that "a diverse society that values the 'differences' between people leads to a 'rich future'," DDL is a solution lab formed by specialists from various fields within Dentsu Inc. and the Dentsu Group.
To realize a diverse and prosperous future, we focus on four main themes: "Disability," "Gender," "Multicultural Coexistence," and "Generation." We provide companies and organizations with knowledge and concrete solutions related to diversity.
Contact:
URL: http://www.dentsu.co.jp/ddl/
E-mail: diversity@dentsu.co.jp
●About the Diversity Web Magazine "cococolor"
cococolor is a web magazine operated by Dentsu Inc. Diversity Lab, founded on the belief that respecting people's differences as rich "individuality" is key to building a diverse society where everyone can live happily.
It covers themes related to human diversity from various perspectives—disability, gender, age, nationality, race, and more—aiming to make diversity feel more accessible and relatable.
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Author
Madoka Yagi
Dentsu Inc.
I spent my university years in Sendai. I gained experience working directly with newspapers. As a researcher at Dentsu Inc. Diversity Lab, I primarily participated in projects related to gender and disability. I also contributed articles on themes like "Diversity × Disaster" for the diversity web magazine <A href="https://cococolor.jp/="_blank">cococolor</A>, operated by the same lab. My current activities center around diversity and disaster prevention.
