In 2021, Kouhei Katsuyama, a gay police officer with the Kyoto Prefectural Police, quit his job after 16 years. In the year that marked the 10th anniversary of their relationship, he moved to Setagaya Ward in Tokyo and made a pledge of partnership with his partner, Kaneshige Hirata.
Kyoto City, where I lived for a long time, introduced a “partnership oath system” in 2020, but I never thought about taking an oath. It was because I was worried that if I got caught, I wouldn’t be able to work here.
“The police were a traditional ‘men’s society,’ and there was a lot of gender discrimination and prejudice. In addition, single people were treated as half-baked. Now I think that was one of the factors that pushed me into a corner.”Mr. KOTFE who talks.
Now, taking advantage of what I felt during my time as a police officer, I amKOTFE(Coffee), Mr. HirataKANEAs (money), YouTube channel “KANE and KOTFE]Send your daily life. She started her activities as a lecturer on LGBT, a self-defense instructor, and a singer-songwriter.
The background to this activity is“There are LGBTQ people in any workplace.thoughtIt is said that
(Published twice. Click here for the interview with former firefighter KANE, which is the first part.)
◆Family, judo, sex. “It was a straitjacket.”
I fell in love with a boy in my class when I was 9 years old. At the same time, she was thrilled, but at the same time, because homosexuals were the subject of ridicule at the time, she was afraid that if she was found out, she would be laughed at. Also, many of the LGBT celebrities I saw on TV were dressed as women. She said that she was worried that she had no role model because her gender expression was clearly different from her male self.
In the background that I couldn’t talk about myself honestly, there was also the existence of my precious family.
He grew up with two older sisters and three siblings, but he also had an older brother who died before KOTFE was born. She feels pressured by the words of those around her, such as “I want to make my mother twice as happy for my brother’s sake” and “I want to see my grandchild”, but I don’t want my mother to feel sad any more. and she couldn’t tell the truth.
What helped me in this situation was Judo, which I started at the age of 9. Although he had a rough time, he didn’t really struggle with his sexuality as a teenager.
“Now that I think about it, I was so devoted to judo that in a sense I was able to avoid having to deal with anything else.”
On the other hand, judo is also a sport that involves a lot of contact with the opponent. Even if he didn’t intend to do so, he said, “If people find out I’m gay, I’ll be bullied and I might not be able to continue.” There was also a side that made him feel stronger that he had to hide his gayness.
“I think I was tied up in a lot of things,” recalls KOTFE. He went on to Yamanashi Gakuin University, a powerhouse, and got a job at the Kyoto Prefectural Police. It was also great that he was a workplace where he could make the most of judo.
Workplace in a male-dominated society, days of being cornered as “normal”
At the Kyoto Prefectural Police, he was in charge of demonstration security, searching for missing people in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and supporting victims of the Kyoto Animation arson murder case. He has also taught martial arts as a special trainee specializing in judo.It was very rewarding to work to help people in need and save lives. However, looking back on aspects other than work, “It was really tough…”.
Inside the organization, it was an old-fashioned “male society”. Conversations based on values such as “get married and be a full-fledged person” and “male predominance” were commonplace, and I was often invited to a joint party.
The police station has a night duty at least once a week, and they often spend time with their superiors and colleagues. Among them, it was a daily occurrence to be asked “Are you married?” “Do you have a girlfriend?”
Even when he was dating KANE, he answered, “I have a girlfriend,” in place of a woman. She said, “Good. I was worried it might be ‘this’,” she said, and she was sometimes hurt.
Human rights training within the agency did not address LGBTQ issues. There was even a boss who grinned at his colleague behind the scenes and said, “He seems to be LGBT, which is popular now.”
Sexual minorities are often the subject of laughter. He never let his guard down in his personal life, such as going out.
In the workplace, there is a trend that if you can’t have a family, you are considered half-serving. That’s why I look back on working hard to do more than twice as much as other people.
LGBTQ people may not be the only ones who find it difficult to live with various “images of what men and women should be”. Many people took a leave of absence or quit their jobs, and the number of jobs increased. Still, I couldn’t say “I can’t do it”. In terms of workplace values, I’m a “half person”,Because I thought that if I was excellent, I might be able to manage somehow even if I was found out that I was gay.
I was gradually exhausted in the days when I lied every day without letting my guard down. Her gastrointestinal ailments continued, causing her to have insomnia and burst into tears. He was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder and was placed on leave of absence.
◆ It is natural to be yourself, not the values of “male society” or “athletic society”
What are you going to do next? I didn’t want to live by deceiving myself any more. After consulting with Kane, the two of them decided to quit her job.
Decided to live openly as gay and started living in Tokyo last October.
KOTFE is currently engaged in a variety of activities, including posting videos on YouTube, giving lectures on LGBT issues, and teaching self-defense techniques.What is important is“I want to create a society where everyone can shine naturally.”That’s what I think. This is because I have experienced various difficulties in my life.
On YouTube and Twitter, he sends life-size daily life such as going on a date with KANE at the aquarium and eating delicious food. On the 10th anniversary of her relationship, she made a partnership oath in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo and captured it in a video. Mr. KOTFE“I want to tell as many people as possible that gays are not special people, and that they can have such a happy future.”smiled.
Also, together with former firefighter KANE, they hope to make use of their experiences to tell people that LGBTQ people exist in any workplace, and eventually change the police and fire departments.
In the “male society” and “athletic society”, I feel that love is a matter of course between men and women, the view of gender is old-fashioned, and the value of getting married and becoming a full-fledged person remains deeply rooted.
In 16 years of working as a police officer, I had never seen anyone openly working as gay. Because he is a police officer who deals with people in need and human rights, he hopes that he can understand the feelings of minorities even a little.
In his personal life, he used to dress like a police officer, but he enjoys having his hair colored in his favorite colors, such as gold and blue. She also started working as a singer-songwriter, which has been her dream since childhood. She says that she wants to put a message into the song that she feels only because she is an LGBTQ person, and sing it at pride events.
There are times when I feel that I am doing what I want to do with all my might.
“It’s really fun now. But I feel that there are many people like us in the past who find it difficult due to the surrounding environment. Some people are forced to make big choices, such as quitting their jobs. I want to change one step at a time.I think everyone will be able to smile if their own way of life becomes the norm.”
For each and every one of us to live our own way in a sustainable global environment.
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