Visual Identifications: X-Gender and Narratives of Identity through Zines, Manga and Television

• In Event: Beyond Gender Binarism and Hetero-Normative Sexuality: Japanese Visual Culture and Trans-Historical Dialogue

Abstract

Focusing on contemporary Japan (late 1990s to present day), this paper examines the significance of visual culture in processes of identification for individuals who identify as x-gender. The term “x-gender” (x-jendā) first started appearing in zines published by queer groups and organizations during the late 1990s. X-gender is now a recognized gender identity in Japan, and refers to identifying as neither female nor male, as having both masculine and feminine aspects, or of completely rejecting the gender binary. The lack of recognition of non-female/male identities in Japan has also led to a push by some individuals to get x-gender recognized as an official “third gender.”

This paper has two parts – part one looks at the representation of identity and analyzes how individuals who identify as x-gender have visualize their identity through photo projects or manga in independent publications such as zines. Identities that do not conform to gender- and hetero-normative expectations are often hidden from the public sphere, and these projects attempt to promote visibility and recognition of x-gender identities. Part two is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted with individuals who identify as x-gender, and examines how the representation of transgender characters in popular media (mainly television shows and manga) spurred a process of coming to identify as x-gender. In examining the significance of visual culture in identification, social discourses of gender (in particular “third gender”) and gender norms will be discussed, and how these representations and the identities they represent interact with dominant discourses.

Author

• Sonja Pei-Fen Dale, Hitotsubashi University