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.
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.
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.”
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