We successfully completed the “WASEDA PRIDE PARADES ありのままでしあワセダ” on 11/27, 11/30, 12/5, and 12/7 in 2022!

Event Summary

The parades were planned by the GS Center’s student staff members Aki, Sao, and Tomohiro. The purpose of the parades is to show that the LGBTQ+ community and its allies are here on campus.

Preparations began in August 2022. In October, we made visits to the Tokorozawa, Toyama, Nishi-Waseda, and Waseda campuses to determine the route. The music playlists at the parades were packed with the thoughts, feelings, and passions of the student staff and staff members of the GS Center.

Day of The Events

The total number of participants in the four parades combined reached approximately 180. In the early planning phase, we were concerned about how it would turn out, and what to do if not many people showed up to walk with us. However, more people than we had imagined walked the parades. The chanting echoed through the campuses, and it was truly a moment of solidarity among all of us marching together.

Photo of the parade on the Tokorozawa campus. The WASEDA PRIDE PARADES took off from this campus!

Photo of Waseda University’s staff members participating in the parade on the Toyama campus

Photo of the WASEDA BEAR and the GS Center’s student staff taken on the Nishi-Waseda campus right after the parade. The WASEDA BEAR was very popular among the parade participants!

What the Participants Have to Say

We received a lot of positive feedback from the participants, and here are just a few of them!

I was impressed by how so many people were there and seemed to be experiencing joy in their own ways; it felt like such a representation of diversity. I also enjoyed participating in the event. The chants were good! I felt energized. (「まさに多様性！」という感じで、沢山の方がそれぞれ楽しそうに参加されているのが印象的でした。私も楽しく参加させて頂きました。シュプレヒコール、良いですね！元気が出ました。)

This is my first PRIDE parade and I love it a lot. I have many friends belong to LGBTQ+ community, and for many reasons, they can't come out just yet. Every time we chanted "allies are here", I felt like I was being loud for their part as well.Thank you for your effort in organizing the events. I hope they will reach more and more people.

Comments from the Planning Team Members

Aki

Thank you to everyone who participated in the parades and for all your support!!! ✨I am glad that we are able to have the parades on three other campuses, not just on the Waseda campus, given the current disparity in access to the GS Center across campuses. All students deserve access to safer spaces! Make new centers or branches of the GS Center on every campus!!

Sao

I believe that we were able to clearly show in front of many students, faculty, staff, and other people involved with Waseda that LGBTQ+ people and their allies are present at Waseda University. We are here!

Conclusion

When a pride parade was held on the Waseda campus in the 2000s, apparently, four people participated. This year, a total of approximately 180 people participated. We would not have been able to have such big parades without the hard work of our seniors.

We will reflect on and build on this year’s experience to keep that legacy going. Thank you all for your participation and support.