A Ray of Hope and a Harsh Backlash: Supporting Trans Youth in Japan
Today we have an article from Mameta Endo, who founded and leads an LGBTQ+ support group in Japan called Niji-zu（24zzz). If you’re a paid subscriber you're receiving this article 1 week early. All funds go to support TPATH's work and, in particular, pay the writers of these articles. If you would like to write an article for us please reach out to leadership@tpathealth.org for details.
Mameta Endo
June 28, 2025
Natsuki, a transgender junior high school student, was torn over whether to skip the school choir competition, where students were required to wear gendered clothing. Normally, Natsuki would wear a tracksuit to school, but that option was not allowed for the event. Lacking the courage to perform in boys’ attire, Natsuki considered not attending at all. However, after joining a LGBT youth space for the first time and making transgender friends, Natsuki found the strength to participate in the competition dressed as a boy. Although Natsuki’s parents had not been supportive at first, they eventually came to understand after seeing how happy Natsuki looked at the choir competition, and even took a commemorative photo of Natsuki with classmates.
This story is part of a serialized manga in the long-running and popular comic “Kocchimuite, Miiko”, which has been published since the 1990s. The introduction of a transgender character in such a widely read and established manga was widely covered in Japanese media. Natsuki's story didn’t end in a single episode—it has been expanded into multiple installments, and in December 2024, a special edition titled “Miiko Selection: LGBT Edition” was published. As the founder of Niji-zu（24zzz）, an organization that provides safe spaces for LGBT youth, I supervised the development of Natsuki’s story.
