Hi all, this is Nisreen from Tokyo.
A friend of mine recently had a horrific experience at Tokyo Rainbow Pride, and needs your help to get some modicum of justice.
I would greatly appreciate if you spare a few minutes to sign this petition! The deadline is tomorrow, 9th of May.
Takanori (not real name) protested in front of a booth set up by one of the sponsors, car insurance company Axsa. He was drawing attention to the fact that they had refused to allow him a spousal discount to his long-term male partner, despite applying several times. How, he asked, could a company claim to be an 'ally' when it denied the legitimacy of same-sex relationships?
Though Takanori's protest was carried out alone and peacefully, a staff member of the Tokyo Rainbow Pride immediately called the police. Their justification for this escalation was that they were protecting the security of their staff and the participants (though Takanori was protesting peacefully) and preventing disruption to the event (though Takanori was protesting alone).
Fortunately, the police who arrived judged his protest was neither of these, and did not constitute criminal activity. They even expressed sympathy towards him when Takanori explained the motive of his activity.
Huffington Post Japan reported on the whole incident afterwards. The Tokyo Rainbow Pride committee issued a statement explaining their actions. However, they offered no apology whatsoever to Takanori for the distress caused to him.
This petition seeks, first, to receive a full and complete apology from the Tokyo Rainbow Pride committee for causing the distress to him. Second, it asks Tokyo Rainbow Pride to re-evaluate and publicly clarify what criteria it uses to deem a company to be an 'ally' -- and explain how a company that makes no allowance for same-sex couples could be given this position.
Article by Huffington Post Japan
Statement by Tokyo Rainbow Pride committee
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