My boyfriend and I are both Japanese, and we always hold hands in public—doesn’t matter what area we’re in. It’s something that’s important to us, and we’ve never had a problem… until recently.
We were out walking together, holding hands like usual, when this random man—he looked like he was of European descent—approached us. First he asked in Japanese, “Are you Japanese?” My boyfriend responded, “Yes.” As soon as he heard that, the guy’s whole expression changed. His face soured, and then he said:
“That can’t be. Japanese people can’t be gay.”
And just like that, he turned and walked away.
It completely threw us off. I don’t know if this was some kind of messed-up prank, or if he was just seriously ignorant, but either way—what the hell?
I’m not going to say where this happened exactly, but it was in one of the major cities. Still, I’m honestly surprised. We’ve always felt pretty safe just being ourselves in public.
I guess this is just a reminder that ignorance can come from anywhere. Stay safe out there.
by Arxchilles