Happy Pride Month, everyone!

Here’s a shoutout to all LGBTIQ+ folks on here. 🏳‍🌈

People in this subreddit come from all over the world – from places where the living situation for LGBTIQ+ people might be better or worse than in Japan.

Many of us struggle each and every day. Many of us constantly evaluate whether a situation is safe enough to fully be ourselves, or rather hide one major element of our identity.

I just want to take this opportunity to say: you are not alone. There is, in fact, a huge community out there in which you will be welcome and can find a home. Don’t struggle alone. And please don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to talk.

Edit: Japan Pride is already over, but please let me share some resources that I found extremely helpful in building my own circle of (queer) friends or just be among other LGBTIQ+ people:

**1. Shinjuku Ni-Chome in Tokyo:** It’s THE center for all LGBTIQ+ related things in Tokyo, or all of Japan, basically. Obviously, the focus here is on nightlife, and not all your social activities should revolve around drinking, but just being there, seeing drag queens dancing in the streets, strangers casually starting conversions with each other … it’s a real boots of energy and confidence for me.

**2. Stonewall Facebook Group:** There is a [private Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/363276580456886) where you can connect to others, and even discuss health-related issues (or just search previous posts, which has been very helpful to me).

**3. Bumble app:** While Bumble is primarily a dating app, it also has a “BFF mode” for finding friends. The number of LGBTQI+ people on there is mindblowingly large – and many (if not most) are easy to spot by a rainbow flag emoji in their self-description. So, if walking up to strangers in Ni-Chome isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps try the online approach first.

**4. Meetups:** There are quite a few meetup options for LGBTIQ+ people and allies out there -easy to find thorugh [meetup.com](https://meetup.com). Personally, I haven’t joined any, so I have no recommendations as of now.

**5. Counseling/medical:** [Tokyo Mental Health](https://www.tokyomentalhealth.com/lgbtq-resources-in-japan/) website lists various Japan-wide resources for general support, counseling and medical help. Not sure how up-to-date these resources are, though.

Which ways of connecting to the community have you, personally, found helpful? Which ones have I missed?

And perhaps we can also discuss how life for LGBTIQ+ people is different here in Japan compared to your home country.

Cheers!