On Saturday, October 8th, at Tokyu Plaza Shibuya, with the slogan "Women's health changes the world", we will expand awareness of women's unique health issues that women face every day and take action to solve them. The promotion project "Women's Wellness Action from Shibuya" will hold an event "CHOICE FES SHIBUYA" in collaboration with I LADY. Did.
On the same day, GIRL meets “FTM” -Women's Wellness Action from Shibuya Talk Session-, Miki Suzuki from Air Hug LLC, Jun Tsujika from Popteen regular model, Ayano Sakurai from international cooperation NGO JOICFP, and , YouTuber Mutant Wave will be on stage. In the same session, Mutant Wave's O-chan hosted a talk on the theme of ``What is FTM?
In the talk session, first of all, the members of Mutant Wave talked about the term "FTM" that appears in this talk theme, "FTM is the head of 'Female to Male'". It is a character, one of the LGBTQ+ 'T' transgenders who have changed their family register from female to male."
Mutant Wave's Asahi, who was a former soccer player who was active in the Nadeshiko League before changing his family register, said from that perspective, "I was glad to be a man because I experienced menstruation as a woman." increase. "Because I have experienced myself, I understand my partner's physical condition more than the average man." Masa-san also said, "I know that my partner eats a lot during menstruation due to hormone imbalance." Next, O-chan said, "Women tend to get irritated when they're on their period, so I use an app to keep track of my partner's period and avoid fights."
On the other hand, from a female point of view, Ms. Tsuji, who is currently a 16-year-old model and has appeared in hero shows, said, "I want more men to understand menstruation." After receiving this, she says: “Recently, men in their teens have a better understanding of menstruation. More and more people think it’s lame that they can’t do anything for their partners when they get their period.” Ms. Sakurai, who is a member of the international cooperation NGO JOICFP and is the director of "I Lady," which works on the theme that women can choose their own lives, said, "Even in I Lady's activities, we use sanitary products to understand our partners' feelings. I once met a male college student who asked me to try it on," he said, based on his own experience.
On the theme of the relationship between menstruation and athletes and models, "My period is painful during competitions. I run for hours, so sometimes sanitary products fall off...", "Some of my athletes are taking the pill. There were also people,” said a Mutant Wave member based on her experience as a female soccer player. Tsuji, who has never used the pill, asked about when to use the pill for the first time. On the other hand, Mr. Sakurai said, "Just because you're a teenager doesn't mean you can't use it. Consulting at a hospital can be a high hurdle, but insurance may apply to the pill, and using the pill doesn't mean you can't use it. I don't get scolded for what I want to do, and recently there are places that will prescribe it via an app, so if you need it, first consult a specialized institution."
Next, on the theme of "What if you could tell someone on the street that your period is leaking blood?", some said, "It's embarrassing, but if it's a woman, it's better to tell her." I don't think it's okay to say that men are no good and women should be fine. O-chan, who agrees with that, said, "I think it's because I'm doing gender education," and then said, "If adults don't change, children won't understand." In addition, all of the speakers expressed their recognition that menstruation is somewhat taboo, and that that view should be changed.
After that, the topic is now about the activities that each of them are working on. Ms. Suzuki said, ``When I heard that there were women in Japan who could not afford to buy sanitary napkins, I first thought about distributing them. I thought that even people who couldn't buy it because they didn't have money would have no problem with napkins." Next, Tsuji, who said that she started performing arts because her family was involved in entertainment-related work, said, "At first, I was swept away by the entertainment business in a good way, but now I chose to continue. Child I started working on a hero show to make people smile and to deliver smiles and dreams to those who have lost their energy due to the disaster. If there are people who can help me, I want to continue doing it.In addition, I have many encounters in this job, and I learn a lot from them, so I feel it is very rewarding." When O-chan asked why she chose to act as Popteen's "gal" model, she said, "Gyaru has a flashy image, and it's hard for ordinary girls to get involved. I have an impression, but I want to change that image myself.”
On the other hand, in response to Mr. Tsuji's story of "encounter", he said, "I met JOICFP seven years ago when I was a student. I didn't get a chance to work in , so I worked at a general company, and after gaining skills as a member of society, I thought about working at JOICFP, and now I'm working as a staff member." Explain why you chose your current activity.
When asked why she started working as a member of Mutant Wave, O-chan said, "We live as transgender people, but I think that there are some celebrities who are active in the world who can't openly express their sexuality. Also, when I try to raise my voice like that, it can be seen negatively, but the football world we were in is very tolerant of gender. I was able to become very positive, so I wanted to raise my voice in that part through our activities. Asahi continued, "My days as a salaried worker were buried. I don't dare to talk about myself, but when I talk about my past, there is always a story of when I was a woman. But I'm hiding it. I felt uncomfortable with the fact that I was there.” On top of that, when I think about what I can do, I accept myself for who I am. I clarified the origin. Masa also said, "Since I started working, I've come to think that 'thank you' is the best thing to say to others. Doing things not just for yourself but for others will help create a kinder society in the future." said.
At the end of the talk session, one of the viewers who listened to the talk asked, "It is said that there are limits to the work that women can do because they are menstruating. What do you think about that?" In response, O-chan said, "Now is not the time for that to be the reason. If everyone, regardless of gender, is included, a better society will be realized."
In this way, in this talk session, from the perspective of women in their teens to 40s, and from the perspective of FTM, who was originally a girl, the ideal future society was discussed through women's menstruation. I believe that if the various opinions expressed by the speakers this time are widely disseminated, an inclusive and diverse society will be realized in which all women can live healthy and active lives as they are.
“GIRL meets “FTM” ～Women’s Wellness Action from Shibuya Talk Session～
What is FTM? ~The Circumstances of a “Former Girl” Who Became a Man~”
Date: Date: October 8, 2022 (Sat) 15:45-16:30
Location: Tokyu Plaza Shibuya 4F Rest Space
Speakers:
Miki Suzuki (Air Hug LLC)
Kasumi Tsuji (Popteen regular model)
Mutant Wave (YouTuber)
Ayano Sakurai (International NGO JOICFP)
