Naoya Matsumoto is the co-head of Team.S@Toyota.  He conducts lectures and other educational activities that raise citizens’ awareness of LGBTQ issues. Naoya spearheaded a series of online exchange meetings to discuss the importance of a same sex marriage in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture.  He also has been conducting archival activities at Pride House Tokyo Legacy, creating video interviews with Japanese gay activists and is supporting a lawsuit in Aichi, Japan that is seeking same sex marriage. He is also involved in the production of art works about queer art.

IVLP Impact Award Project: The Message Video on "Marriage Equality"

Naoya’s project will educate citizens about the importance of marriage equality and raise awareness of the troubles that people experience when pursuing it. A video will be produced including a compilation of interviews with a focus on people they met through their IVLP exchange experience. Naoya’s project aims to spark a national conversation on the important of marriage equality from the perspectives of both Japanese and United States citizens.

As of October, Naoya received 15 video messages from Japanese and American counterparts discussing the importance of marriage equality. He is now captioning and editing the videos. The finalized video will be released on YouTube in January, accompanied by an in-person screening and discussion at Nagoya Inovator’s Garage, in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate in Nagoya and the Central Japan Economic Federation.

“In Japan, discriminatory statements about LGBTQ people that are not based on fact or investigation are widespread, especially on social media.  By releasing this video, I aim to demonstrate the problems faced by LGBTQ and those around them and resolve prejudices.” -Naoya Matsumoto

IVLP Exchange Experience

Naoya participated in the IVLP Project The Fight for Marriage Equality, organized by the U.S. Department of State and CRDF Global, in partnership with Georgia Council for International Visitors, Iowa International Center, and WorldBoston.

Naoya’s exchange experience led to the development of his project: “Everyone I met through IVLP said that the fight for rights will never end, and the most important thing [for LGBTG people] is visibility. Although same sex marriage has not yet been realized in Japan, we expect that backlash against LGBTQ people will certainly occur, even after the law is enacted. That is why it's important for both the United States and Japan to raise their voices now through this video so as to foster people's awareness of LGBTQ.”

U.S. Communities Visited 

Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA; Iowa City, IA; Boston, MA

Country: Japan

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