Mutant Wave is a unit made up of three members, Ochan, Asahi, and Masa, who share the common identity of being transgender. The fellows of SOCIAL INNOVATION WEEK (SIW) will be holding two very interesting workshop contents this time.
We had a great time talking with them about everything from their thoughts behind their activities to their enthusiasm for SIW.
Shibuya is a place where you can mix with others while still being different.
— Mutant Wave again. Please tell us about your activities.
Ochan: We call ourselves genderists. The members of the group are female soccer players in the Nadeshiko League, but after retiring, they changed their family registration to male, so we are working to bring awareness to various things from a gender-related perspective.
Rather than spreading awareness about LGBT issues, we have been communicating on YouTube, collaborating with companies through training and collaborations, and holding classes for a wide range of children and students, from kindergartens to university students. We want people to experience the ``differences'' and ``individualities'' of various people through the aspect of LGBT.
— Your topic is not just LGBT, but also understanding each other with others.
You are also active as a fellow of the Shibuya City Tourism Association, right?
Asahi: I am currently at the stage of exploring what I can do as a fellow of the tourism association.
Ochan: For example, Shibuya holds parades and is said to be a place where all kinds of people can spend time, but we need to make sure that the people concerned are aware of where in Shibuya they can feel truly safe. We are all wondering what the method is.
— What is an example of a place where you don't feel safe?
O-chan: For example, this (sticker pasted on a PC) is one of them, and it's called the ALLY sticker that Uber puts out, and it's an LGBT rainbow flag with Uber's sticker design. This is what I took inside. Particularly overseas, companies often express support for LGBT people in this way. For example, if a sticker like this is put up in a store, it means that if you feel discriminatory or scared, you can come to our store and we will protect you. Just seeing a sticker like that when you go to a store makes you feel at ease, and it gives you a sense of security that it's okay to be there without hiding anything about yourself.
— What kind of image does Shibuya have for you?
Asahi: Even in Japan, there is a particularly diverse mix of people and cultures, so if you want to do something, wouldn't it be a good place to do it? I really feel like this is a city that has a culture that makes you feel that way.
Ochan: It's an exciting town, isn't it?
Asahi: For example, there is the name ``(Shinjuku) 2-chome'', but compared to 2-chome, Shibuya has the image of a fusion and mix of various cultures. I think Shibuya is a city where you can really feel that it's okay to mix cultures.
— It's normal for them to be mixed together.
Asahi: There is no division.
O-chan: For example, when we are featured in the media, because we are LGBT people, the headlines tend to be ``People who stood up for the spread of LGBT'', but in the same way, ``2-chome because we are LGBT people'' I feel uncomfortable when people look at me like, ``I go there often.'' Even in 2-chome, people who are not like that should be able to be normal, and conversely, in the case of Shibuya, I have the impression that there are people like that and people who are not like that, and it is a place where they can mingle.
Asahi: Yes, yes.
- To be honest, I just realized that I had intended to make this article bound to LGBT-related aspects just because you are LGBT people...
Uncle: Good (lol).
Asahi: That's what happens (lol).
Uncle: Mutant Wave. The vision we have for our activities does not include "LGBT". Our vision is to create a world where people all over the world can love themselves despite their transgender identity.
Masa: We want to change society from the basics.
Ochan: If you look around society, you'll notice that a lot of what people are talking about right now is ``genderless.'' ``It would be great to have a society where people are not categorized based on gender.''
But we want to go beyond that and think, ``It's okay to live in a society where people are respected as they are, even if they are categorized.''
I think that becoming a genderless society means that each person's sexuality will be different from what they want to be. For example, being transgender is a very important part of our identity, and it's something we want to cherish. That's why I want to create a society where people can say, ``I'm transgender,'' and everyone can respect that.
That's why some people often say, ``We don't need things like gender,'' but wouldn't it be better if we had a society where people could freely choose and say what they want? That's what I think.
Masa: I would like to change society even a little in that direction.
- I see. Get rid of things like categorization,NoneIt's better to understand the other person and accept each other instead of just thinking about it.
Asahi: I think most of the cases where people say, ``I want a society that doesn't categorize people'' are because, for example, people get bullied for saying ``I'm transgender,'' or in other words, there are societies where ``I can't say it.'' I think it's been put away. That's why I wish there was a society where people would respect that when they say, ``I'm transgender.''
Mutant Wave in SIW. Two workshops where you can have fun learning
— This SOCIAL INNOVATION WEEK (SIW), you will be holding two workshops. The first is "DE&I promotion that starts with each individual's self-understanding."
<Workshop contents>
・Looking at myself | What is the “original self” that we know through mental health?
・Looking at me and you | What are the “various “differences”” learned from identity?
・Express me | I express myself through art!
Details) https://social-innovation-week-shibuya.jp/timetable/event/is06/
=============
Ochan: This is a project where we will think about identity from the very beginning.
When thinking about things like "diversity" and "DE&I," many people are probably thinking about other people. We tend to think in terms of how to understand and accept someone's identity. But before that, I think it would be better to study from the basic premise of whether you are properly accepted, whether you know yourself properly, and whether you are able to like yourself. Masu. Rather than thinking about others, I would like to start by understanding who I am.
Identity is about oneself, but it is something that cannot be achieved by oneself alone; it is only when one looks at oneself through relationships with others that one can see identity. In our case, one of the elements is LGBT.
I believe that by re-examining yourself in this way, you can learn about the ``differences'' of various people.
Asahi: Of course it's important to accept other people's identities, but before that, I wanted to provide an opportunity for people to think about what kind of characteristics they have. After all, each person's environment and upbringing is different, so I want to make this a time where they can deepen their understanding that each person has their own rules.
Masa: I would like to create such opportunities while making use of the characteristics of each of the three of us. Asahi usually does mental training, so we adopted that approach this time, and in my case, I'm not good at speaking, so I wanted to experience things through things like art and design rather than words. I'm thinking about the content.
I hope that the three of us can express what only we can do this time.
Asahi: It's quite a challenge for us too. I think that's typical of SIW as well.
- Another program is ``A parent-child workshop where you think while playing - Learn about the differences between you and others,'' which also has interesting content.
<Workshop contents>
・Let's free your mind | Warm up with a small game tournament
・Let's learn about each other's differences and similarities | Write, draw, move, and talk.
・Convey yourself | Important things about me that I can't usually say♪
Details) https://social-innovation-week-shibuya.jp/timetable/event/is09/
=============
Asahi: As part of your regular work on gender education, you work with children while also giving lectures and training to teachers and parents. What I often find is that adults tend to reflect their own thoughts on children.
For example, when we say to the children, ``You can ask Mutant Wave any questions you like,'' the adults scold them and say, ``That's a rude question.'' There is something that happens. However, I think it can be said that while this is "natural" for adults, it is not so for children.
Because parents and children are the closest relationships, it is easy to believe that they have the same values, but in this workshop we want you to experience the differences between parents and children.
As parents and children work together on various topics, such as drawing a picture or posing, I want children to experience that even if they do the same thing, they may not get the same results. I also want them to experience the ``differences'' in even the closest parents and children, and to realize that if parents and children are so different, no two people in this wide world are the same.
Lastly, I would like to set aside some time where I can talk about my true feelings, things that I don't usually say but are important to me.
— I hope people can experience that being “different” is normal.
Ochan: Really, that's what you end up with in the end.
For example, people often say things like, ``I guess that's why I have a beard because I'm transgender.'' But right now, I'm just getting my hair removed (lol).
As a result, stereotypes such as ``this is what I do because I'm transgender'' are often used, but of course each person is completely different. Because the three members share the same transgender background, Mutant Wave is able to convey their "differences". It's a good point, so I think it would be great if we could properly convey that aspect as well.
Masa: It's definitely fun. absolute.
— Lastly, what expectations do you have for SIW as a whole?
Ochan: At SIW, there are so many people from all walks of life, both speakers and audience members, so I guess you can say that there is a wide range of people you can interact with there.I'm looking forward to that, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens from there. I think the probability of something new coming out is extremely high. We are also very excited about the kind of people we will meet, and there will be students, people from companies, and people from all walks of life, and we are looking forward to the unknown and what new things will happen from here.
Asahi: There's a sense of excitement that we can't yet see how many such multiplications will emerge.
SOCIAL INNOVATION WEEK
https://social-innovation-week-shibuya.jp
Interview/text) Suke Amada (Future Design Shibuya)
Photo) Yu Saito
