A Rural Perspective on Cell Phone FilteringSou
Nijiiro hempeisoku - Aomori Sexual Minorities Association
【The article below is the same as the article that appears in the tenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.】
The issue of cell phone filtering for minors in Japan is being addressed by the government, corporations, third party organizations and even in the Diet. I am greatly concerned that websites and personal blogs for the interaction of sexual minorities and the provision of accurate information for them are at risk of being targeted as “harmful” by uniform filtering. This could not only aggravate the current prejudice, but also deprive sexual minorities of their support systems.
I only became conscious of other homosexuals and people with Gender Identity Disorder (GID) after I had come of age. My sister encouraged me to use the Internet on her computer and by chance, I came across a chat room for homosexuals. Until then, I had believed that there just couldn’t be anybody like me in this world and had been unable to envision a happy future. So that instant for me was when I truly felt that I was “born unto this world.” From that moment, my life changed.
However, on PC-oriented websites there were little opportunities for me to meet fellow sexual minorities in my local area. I thought perhaps they were all in the cities. A few years later, I coincidentally found some messages posted by locals on an internet bulletin board.
The bulletin board was accessible by cell phone and many of the comments were being posted from cell phones. In rural areas, most people don’t have a personal computer so they rely on their cell phones to contact others. Among them are many minors. They are unable to escape from their homes or schools but find it difficult to come out for fear of discrimination or rejection. All the more reason why it is the cell phones in their hands that help these young people meet fellow sexual minorities and support one another.
With the prevailing prejudice against sexual minorities, it is extremely difficult for those of us who live in rural areas to live as who we are. Schools teach us nothing about homosexuality, and there are many adults who reject knowledge and information out of misunderstanding and revulsion. Even so, we are struggling to find happiness, and a place where we can be ourselves.
The so-called “Internet Control Law for Minors” has recently been passed. Third party organizations have begun preparing to certify websites. The filtering problem is only just beginning. I pray in earnest that this problem is accurately assessed and fairly debated so that the happiness of young people may be protected. If happiness is a right bestowed upon everyone, then no one should be allowed to strip others of their means to find it.
