On May 16 at Tokyo's High Court, the City of Tokyo submitted a further piece of evidence in the "Fuchu Siene no Ie" case to support its policy barring homosexuals from city-run youth hostels despite a District Court ruling declaring such discrimination illegal. The case was originally brought by the Japan Association for the Lesbian and Gay Movement (OCCUR) in 1991 after the Tokyo Board of Education ruled that homosexuals would no longer be allowed to use the city's youth hostels. In the latest development, Shigeo Ono, Director of the Japanese National Council of Youth Organizations, issued a court brief that while recognizing he had not conducted any research on the topic of homosexuality, went on to argue that mainstream youth groups would be unable to use a facility also being used by homosexuals. Homosexuals would introduce a sexual tension into the atmosphere distracting the other youth, he claimed. Tokyo's strategy is to suggest that people's anxiety about homosexuality, even if it has no basis in fact, is sufficient to justify the exclusion of homosexuals from the City's youth hostels.

On July 4, 1996 more than one hundred people were in attendance as Akitoshi Yanagihashi, a member of OCCUR and one of the official plaintiffs in the case, testified that OCCUR had used many other public youth hostels in other prefectures since the 1990 incident with no mishaps. Attorney's representing the city of Tokyo will cross examine Yanagihashi at the next hearing scheduled for early September. Throughout this court case OCCUR has benefited from the generous support of the international gay lesbian, bisexual and transgengered community. Letters of protest to the City of Tokyo are an extremely effective means of influencing the court's decision. OCCUR would be very grateful for further letters from individuals and organizations stressing the following points.

1. The City of Tokyo must withdraw its appeal immediately and abandon its discriminatory policies toward homosexuals. Only in this way can it begin to function as an administration that takes the rights of all its citizens seriously, including those of homosexuals.
2. (This point should be made in letters to the City of Tokyo) Restoring the rights of homosexuals to use these public facilities would be an important means of realizing Tokyo Prefectural Governor AOSHIMA Yukio's stated commitment to "Government for the People" (Shimin'ha). For the City government it would be an important step towards regaining the confidence of the citizens of Tokyo.
3. Tokyo's policy is in clear opposition to the world-wide trend of recognizing the human rights of homosexuals. The City of Tokyo has claimed that it is merely applying the "separate sexes, separate rooms rule" to homosexuals. But this application results in the de- facto barring of homosexuals from the facility all together. As such, this is clearly an instance of anti-gay discrimination.
4. It is the responsibility of the authorities to take steps to educate the guests and their parents by providing accurate, unbiased information about homosexuality.

Send letters to:

Mr. AOSHIMA Yukio
Governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Nishi-shinjuku 2-8-1, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160 JAPAN

Mr. ISHIKAWA Tadao
The Chairman of the Tokyo Board of Education

Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Nishi-shinjuku 2-8-1, Shinjuku Tokyo 160 Japan

Please send copies of all letters, as well as comments or inquiries, to:

Japan Association for the Lesbian and Gay Movement (OCCUR)

#201, 4-43-4,
Honcho, Nakano-ku
Tokyo 164 JAPAN
FAX: 81-3-3-3229-7880
email: occur@kt.rim.or.jp