Now showing: "I Am Here," a documentary portraying the reality of Japanese transgender people

The movie documentary, "I Am Here -- 私たちはともに生きている" (lit. We Are All In This Together) will be showing until October 27. It is a documentary featuring 17 transgender people in their 20s to 70s who talk about their pasts, worries, and hopes. This documentary brings to the forefront the problems that transgender people are facing. The movie is directed by Tomoya Asanuma, a transgender man and an activist. Talk shows with different invited guests are also being held day after day.

    Tomoya Asanuma was assigned female at birth and had gender dysphoria since he was in elementary school. The people around him eyed him strangely. They called him boyish and queer. He was also bullied. He was diagnosed with gender identity disorder at the age of 18, and at 23, he got his gender reassignment surgery and his name changed in the family registry. When he started to work as a nurse, he had a bad experience of being outed. It was about 2 years ago when he started working there. His colleague from the same department was supposed to be the only one who knew that he was transgender, but the information leaked out even to the patients. People made distasteful jokes like "What's in your pants?" and "You do look like a woman, now that I'm looking at you." He felt humiliated and uncomfortable and that eventually led to depression. He immediately resigned.

    "Compared to the past, I think that the present Japanese society has become more tolerant and easier for us to live in. But, not everyone can easily say with pride that they are living happy lives, because discrimination and prejudice still continue today, and to pretend that they don't exist is also a problem. Showing and spreading awareness on the current conditions of transgender people in Japan to everyone in the world is part of the reason that I made this movie." he said.　

    He interviewed transgender individuals from a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Some of them are office workers, some work in the nightlife business, while others are researchers.

　Japan enforced the Gender Identity Disorder Law in 2004 where an individual needs to meet five requirements in order to change their name on the family registry. Some of these requirements such as being over 20 years old, having no underage children, and having undergone gender reassignment surgery, are quite strict. He referenced the difficult challenges from the law that needed to be improved.

    "There are a lot of people who have changed their name on the family registry and have become happier for it. But, I believe the law on changing one's name puts too much burden on our physical and mental health. For example, gender reassignment surgery takes a toll on one's body. The aftercare is tough too. For me, I had my reproductive organs removed so now I cannot have children and have developed a menopausal disorder. After changing my name, I still needed the money to continue getting hormone therapy. Many young people are working on changing their names, but the life after the name change is much longer," he explained.

    Asanuma regretted undergoing the surgery and he really hoped that the next generation of transgender people will not have to go through the same thing. Actors from the movie also had the same sentiment. "I want to be able to help people who are in the same situation as me.”

    "I want to send an encouraging message through this movie. To all the trans people out there, we are here working hard for you, so be proud of who you are and live as you choose. At the same time, for our cis allies, I want you to keep supporting us by informing yourselves with the problems we are facing and the challenges that the Japanese legal system has placed upon us. Lastly, we should all work together to make a change," they said.

    The following people make an appearance in this movie. Masae Torai, the inspiration behind the role played by Aya Ueto in "Kinpachi-Sensei," Ran Yamamoto who is a gid.jp representative, Fumino Sugiyama from the Rainbow Parade Association, Junko Mitsuhashi who is a researcher and writer of "Cross-dressing and Japan," Tomato Hatano who is an activist and writer, Lily Miyata who is involved in dista Osaka Community Center that deals with HIV prevention awareness, and many more who have contributed to elevating the social position of transgender people in Japan.

    Fumino Sugiyama will appear on the talk show on Oct. 22. Junko Mitsuhashi and Tomato Hatano will appear on the talk show on Oct. 24. More information can be found here.

Movie: 『I Am Here ─私たちはともに生きている─』(lit. We Are All In This Together)
Showtime: Oct. 27 7 - 8 p.m.　
Venue: CINEMA Chupki TABATA

Director: Tomoya Asanuma

Last year, he published a book entitled『虹色ジャ～ニ→　女と男と時々ハーフ』(lit. Rainbow Journey → Times I was Half Man and Half Woman) (Bungeisha). TRANS VOICE IN JAPAN, TRanS and other representatives are working together to plan a Trans March on November 21 of this year.

Reference:
"I hope you know how hard it is to live" a documentary on the present lives of transgender people. (AERA)
https://dot.asahi.com/aera/2020101900012.html

「Ｉ　Ａｍ　Ｈｅｒｅ」We Are All In This Together documentary showing since Oct. 17 (Kanagawa Newspaper)
https://www.kanaloco.jp/news/culture/bunka/article-267687.html

Source: https://www.outjapan.co.jp/lgbtcolumn_news/news/2020/10/26.html