日本語ページはこちら
■ Five Years Since Establishment - Working Towards an Organisation that Lasts
Pride House Tokyo was established at the time of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. To create a space where all people can feel safe regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, or gender expression, we created the LGBTQ+ center, Pride House Tokyo Legacy, known as "Legacy."
During the Games, we worked on providing information related to LGBTQ+ sports, culture, and education. This involved displaying messages from LGBTQ+ athletes, pamphlets aimed at sports organisations, and media guidelines. After the Games were over, we continued to work to create a space that is inclusive for all people. This includes providing free counselling services for both youth and adults, creating a robust collection of LGBTQ+ books and materials, and organising community events. Aside from our operations as an LGBTQ+ centre, we have also worked to connect across sectors, working with municipalities and companies, and aspiring to increase awareness and understanding through education, advocacy, and sports. In 2023, Pride House Tokyo received official status as an NPO through the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Since Legacy opened three years ago, we’ve had over 12,000 visitors. Messages from our visitors include: “I enjoyed talking so I came again!”, “It was a learning experience,” and “It became a place of refuge for me.” Legacy has become a place that visitors “couldn’t do without.”
However, since opening, awareness of our space has grown, and the number of visitors and people seeking counselling services has made it difficult for our staff to keep up.
While continuing to work towards our founding principle of creating a safe and affirmative space for all people, we want to ensure that we can pass on Legacy to future generations- a place that visitors know, “when you visit, someone will be there for you.” To achieve this, we need your support.
Challenges Facing LGBTQ+ Support in Japan
① Although there are NPOs in every region of the country, because of the size of individual organisations and limited resources, it is systematically difficult to create a broader impact.
② When seeking to access compiled information, this information is scattered across separate NPOs, making it necessary to contact individual NPOs separately, and there is no information portal available.
③ While many people, such as community social workers and NPO employees, seek to learn more, skill and knowledge-building opportunities are limited.
Amidst this situation, Pride House Tokyo hopes to share the expertise that we have accumulated and act as a hub for many organisations to learn from one another.
Through sharing knowledge between organisations, we hope that Pride House Tokyo can take on the responsibility of becoming a community hub, cooperating with other regions and municipalities through LGBTQ+ suicide prevention initiatives and more.
We hope to act as a place for LGBTQ+ people and allies to safely connect with one another. Through cross-sectoral cooperation in areas including sports and education, we are working towards improving institutional culture and increasing awareness. Moving forward, we will strive to continue building an understanding of the realities of each region, working in response to local voices in moving forward projects, and expanding the possibilities for future activities.
“When you visit, there’s someone you can see, talk to, learn from” – Our Present and Future
Opened in October 2020, Legacy is a comprehensive LGBTQ+ centre open to all. Whether it's accessing the collection of over 3500 books from our LGBTQ community archive team, using our counseling services to talk about issues both big and small, or casually enjoying yourself with others at an event, there are many ways to use Legacy. We strive for Legacy to be a place that anyone can enjoy and be themselves.
How Legacy Can Be Used
① Free Counselling Services
For LGBTQ+ people, and those who think they might be, and their friends and family, we have counselling available. Our counselling for youth ages 24 and under is available in English and Japanese, and our counselling for ages 25+ is available in Japanese.
② Casual conversation
You can chat with our staff or other guests, or of course, enjoy a laid-back time on your own.
③ Accessing information
You can view our library of LGBTQ+ related novels, magazines, leaflets, and more.
④ Convenient facilities and features.
You can charge your phone and access our Wi-fi for free.
⑤ Events and projects open to all
We hold a variety of events, from social events for youth, to events such as “Legacy Salon” (gathering to talk at Legacy), “Banmeshi Salon” (bring-your-own dinner), “Going-out” salon, and more, where you can talk to staff and participants. All of the events are designed for a wide range of people, from those who just want to join in, to those who want to talk to someone or do an activity.
We also have special days including Trans Day, Youth Day, and Deaf Day, so that more people can come by to visit Legacy at ease.
We want to continue to be a ‘hub’ for positive change
We have received positive feedback from visitors such as “I was so happy to talk to staff that I came back", “I'm glad I took the plunge and came”, and “You have so many interesting books”, and people who visit on a whim while travelling. It can be said that Legacy is truly fulfilling its function as a place where “when you visit, there’s someone you can see, talk to, learn from.”
Through spending time at Legacy, we hope for people one by one to be able to build up their strength and take a step forward. We would like to continue to enhance our role as a ‘hub’ where people can gradually get involved with the people around them and make positive changes.
Let’s Connect through the “Tomoni Club”!
While we have worked hard to create a safe and affirmative space, in order to continue our activities, we need to both maintain and acquire resources. For example, to hire just one full-time staff member, we would require 1,000 people to donate 2,000 yen per person per month for one year.
Every donation counts, so we hope that you can help us in continuing to provide support to those who need it most. You can become a monthly supporter from just 500 yen per month.
With Your Donation
1,000 people who donate ¥2,000 per month will directly lead to the strengthening of Pride House Tokyo's organisational structure and facilities, for example:
① Increasing staff at our centre from 2 to 3 per shift, making work run more smoothly
② Securing full-time office staff
③ Expanding facilities and services at Legacy in response to the needs of our visitors
e.g.) Establishing an area to relax and do activities, layout changes, etc.
A Message from the Chair
Having a place and people to whom you can exist as your whole self without being denied is something that is important for everyone. Through working on the planning and operations of Pride House Tokyo, I’ve felt strongly that the existence of such a place, particularly for LGBTQ+ people, can also be a lifeline. As well, as a “platform” for people interested in working on LGBTQ+ issues, we’ve been able to contribute to the creation of collaborations across organisational boundaries.
Moving forward, while working alongside many people to achieve stable and sustainable long-term operations, together I hope we can create a society where people of all genders and sexualities are respected and can live safely. Please continue to keep your expectations high for Pride House Tokyo!
Thank you for reading.
We hope we can count on your support.
