Japanese Millennials and Intersex Awareness

Abstract

This paper investigates the awareness, attitudes, and opinions of Japanese millennials about intersex people. This research attempts to fill a gap in extant literature concerning the intersex in Asia via an exploratory analysis. The LGBTQ(I) discourse of Japan mimics that of the west; often the "I" is totally disregarded. Here, a snapshot of Japanese millennial awareness is offered using survey results collected from a convenience sample of Japanese college students. Findings suggest that the understanding of what the term "intersex" means is limited. An interesting argument addressing the differential treatment of one's sex versus one's sexuality via queering is offered, alongside proposals for further `exploration using qualitative means should be done in the future. In addition, a comparison to Western awareness and understanding would be an appropriate next step.

Bibles and Bathrooms: Intersex Variation Awareness Among College-Aged American Christians

“…Furthermore, our overall findings suggest that even though intersex variations present a clear challenge to the idea that all those falling outside the binary definition of sex and gender choose to do so, it is still associated with deviant gendered behavior in some way. Yet, much like the Japanese sample analyzed by Lusk (2017), this study revealed more acceptance of intersex variation than homosexuality. In fact, 75.2% of the sample overall felt that people with intersex variations should “ be allowed to marry whomever they please ,” compared to 67.1% for homosexual individuals.…”

“…The Haynes definition was selected in an effort to replicate the instrument used in a previous study on intersex variation, drawn from a sample of non-native English speakers with little familiarity with intersex variation (Lusk, 2017): “‘Intersex’ means someone who is born with biological traits that make it hard to determine whether they are conclusively male or female (Haynes, 1999). This could mean some variance of chromosomes beyond the dichotomous 46XX or 46XY, abnormal hormone balance, or difference in appearance of genitalia.” (Lusk, 2017, p. 619)…”

“…“‘Intersex’ means someone who is born with biological traits that make it hard to determine whether they are conclusively male or female (Haynes, 1999). This could mean some variance of chromosomes beyond the dichotomous 46XX or 46XY, abnormal hormone balance, or difference in appearance of genitalia.” (Lusk, 2017, p. 619)…”

“…The present research models a previous pilot study regarding intersex awareness among a similar population in Japan; with the prospect of comparison in mind this study closely follows the 12-item online survey instrument utilized in that analysis (Lusk, 2017). The survey was distributed using the Qualtrics analytic suite and made available to students at each university via their campus email accounts and/or learning management systems in October of 2016.…”

Introduction: queer lives in contemporary Japan

“…7. It should be noted that this is based on a small sample of 239 students at Miyazaki International College, Miyazaki City, with an n of 153; see Lusk (2017). 8.…”