Queer Voices from Japan: First-Person Narratives from Japan's Sexual Minorities

Mark McLelland, Katsuhiko Suganuma, and James Welker, eds.

Queer Voices from Japan examines the wide range of queer voices in Japan, and the longevity that these minority communities have enjoyed in society. Mark McLelland, Katsuhiko Suganuma, and James Welker bring together historical and contemporary narratives that contribute to the study of sexual identities in Japan. These essays trace the evolution of queer voices in Japan with analyses of the presence of homosexuality in the Japanese Imperial Army, the development of Japan's first gay bars, and same-sex experiences in the pre- and post-war periods. This book offers a variety of perspectives including a range of male-to-female and female-to-male transgender voices and experiences. The broad scope of this volume makes it an invaluable text for understanding the development of Japanese sex and gender categories in the twentieth century. Queer Voices from Japan is a compelling read that will appeal to those interested in Asian studies and human sexuality.

List of Contributors
Oguiya Afu, Sunagawa Hideki, Sawabe Hitomi, Toyama Hitomi, Hirano Hiroaki, Sugita Hitoshi, Akira the Hustler, Mitsuhashi Junko, Kabiya Kazuhiko, Oikawa Kenji, Noriko Kohashi, Ochiya Kumiko, Masako. Izumo Marou, Hisada Megumi, Saijo Michio, Hara Minako, Ranko and Otoki, Namiki Sansaku, Fujii Seiji, Kawakami Seiko, Morihara Taichi, Fujio Takafumi, Kondo Takashi, Otsuka Takashi, Yamamoto Tatsuo, Ujiya Tomiyoshi, Setoguchi Torao, Ueshima Tsugi, Miwa Yoko, Tsuzura Yoshiko, Yoshimura Yutaka

About the Editors
Mark McLelland is lecturer in sociology in the School of Social Science, Media, and Communication at the University of Wollongong. Katsuhiko Suganuma is a doctoral candidate in the Department of English with Cultural Studies at the University of Melbourne. James Welker is a PhD student in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"Of Queer Import(s): Sexualities, Genders, and Rights in Asia." Special issue of Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context 14 (Nov. 2006)

James Welker and Lucetta Kam, eds.