Taiwan’s disease-prevention measures have been widely discussed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include the mask-buying policy based on a user identification system, which has received the most attention internationally, especially in Japan and South Korea. A key driving force behind the mask-buying system is Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳).
Judging by recent Japanese and South Korean reports and videos about Tang, most media outlets begin by mentioning her high IQ and technological skills. Of course, her communication and negotiation skills must be excellent, or she would not have been able to push for these policies so successfully.
It seems that many people are interested in, and perhaps even amazed by, Tang’s status as a transgender person. There must be many transgender people in the world, so is it that unusual for someone to be who they are if the gender they are assigned at birth and their gender identity do not match? At the very least, Tang has always been cool and collected when dealing with such questions from the outside world, and this is yet another reason why she is such an outstanding person.
In the entertainment world of Japan, some entertainers are dubbed onee, which literally translates to “male big sister.” This includes gay men, transgender people and even effeminate straight men.
For the sake of amusement, it seems that show business deliberately portrays these people as silly and goofy to entertain the audience. However, it seems to be absolutely normal for the general public to stereotype particular groups, and this is troubling.
Whether people are transgender, homosexual or straight and do not talk or act in accordance with traditional standards of masculinity and femininity, that does not affect their status as independent individuals in society.
Take for example Ma Hyun-yi, a supporting character who is a chef at a bar-restaurant in the hit South Korean drama Itaewon Class. Prior to participating in the final round of a cooking competition, Ma’s transgender status is exposed by the opposing team.
With people pointing fingers at her, she is at first intimidated by them, but still bravely joins the final game, where she tells the world that she is transgender and vows to win the competition. It might be just a TV drama, but the plot is encouraging.
Due to a lack of understanding and stereotyping, it is likely that many people continue to feel that LGBT people are “strange.” It is difficult to completely discard traditional stereotypes.
Still, people should try to understand the LGBT community, and hopefully there will be a day when it will not be necessary to stress that a person has a “special” gender identity or gender orientation when they are being introduced. When that happens, articles like this would not be necessary, because by that time, all will be equal.
Hung Yu-jui is a Japanese teacher and translator.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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