Lesbian couple hopes wedding ceremony becomes talking point for rights of sexual minorities

Lesbian couple hopes wedding ceremony becomes talking point for rights of sexual minoritiesTV personality Ayaka Ichinose grappled for months over her decision to announce she is gay, and when she did, she found that offers of work dropped off.

Ichinose, 34, also announced that she will hold a wedding ceremony with her partner, 28-year-old dancer Akane Sugimori, on April 19.

In late March, the assembly of Tokyo's Shibuya Ward adopted an ordinance to issue same-sex "partnership certificates" to protect the rights of sexual minorities and counter discrimination and prejudice.

The Asahi Shimbun recently interviewed the couple to get a clearer picture about their lives and their views of the ordinance.

Question: Same-sex sexual preference is often misunderstood as a "hobby" and there is strong prejudice against it. What has been your experience?

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Ichinose: My manager was initially opposed to my decision to come out and announce that I am a lesbian. Because I was appearing in idol gravure magazines for male readers, the manager feared that I would lose work.

After six months, I convinced him. In 2009, I announced in a weekly magazine that I am a lesbian. I lost some jobs for gravure magazines, but I organized projects on my own and became involved in the production of a movie about sexual minorities. I also appeared in a talk show for the same purpose.

Sugimori: Starting in 2009, I spent three years dancing in shows at dinner theaters. When I introduced myself on stage, I would say that I was a sexual minority. As a result, my conversations with patrons became very active.

Q: Why are you going to hold a wedding ceremony?

I: Marriage is a milestone for two people to pledge to each other that they will become partners in their lives. I want to let people around me know that I regard my wedding as a milestone.

S: We met in a bar in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward in October 2012. Soon after that, I told her, "I want to marry you." As she was yearning for a wedding ceremony, I wanted her to realize her dream.

Q: Do you have any concerns?

I: In January, we visited my father and told him that we will marry. My father said, "(I don’t mind) if both of you are happy." However, he also said, "I don't want you to cause troubles to your family members or other relatives." As he does not know a lot about same-sex relationships, he has anxieties.

S: For same-sex couples, many unexpected problems can pop up. For example, if your partner lost consciousness, you could not sign a document to allow surgery. If your partner is in critical condition at a hospital, you could not visit your partner (because you are not legally recognized as a family member).

Q: In December 2014, you held a news conference to reveal your marriage plan.

I: I don’t want to use my sexual identity as a selling point in my work. I want people to know that there are same-sex people and some of them want to marry their partners. I want our wedding to become a catalyst to promote discussions (on sexual minorities).

S: After we held the news conference, the number of followers on my Twitter account increased by 400. There were many postings from people like us. One read, "I was not able to talk (about my sexual identity) to people around me. But I received hope (from your marriage announcement)." I want people to realize that some sexual minorities are living their lives openly and happily (without concealing their sexual identity). If we show that we are living a happy life and, as a result, people have brighter images about sexual minorities, it will become easier for other gay people to talk about themselves. If more homosexual people come out, it may eventually give rise to a system to legally recognize same-sex marriages.

Q: What do you think of Shibuya Ward's plan to issue "partnership certificates" to same-sex couples.

I: I am very pleased. I want to consider moving to the ward. As the certificates are effective only in Shibuya Ward, however, there will not be many cases in which the certificates will be useful. It is also necessary to pay several tens of thousands of yen--up to about 100,000 yen ($830)--to create notarized documents.

S: So far, there have not been many cases in which sexual minorities were an important topic. (Shibuya Ward’s ordinance) is an opportunity for many people to learn what sexual minorities face in their daily lives.

Q: What does the future hold for you?

I: I want to see the construction of a dormitory-like facility in which lesbians of many generations can live because some of those who do not have partners or children often tend to feel isolated.

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