“WASEDA QUEER PARADES OF REMEMBRANCE 追悼” held on 11/25, 11/27, 12/2, and 12/4 in 2024!

Hello, everyone! This is Tay, a student staff member of the GS Center. In this post, I will report on “WASEDA QUEER PARADES OF REMEMBRANCE 追悼” held within the WASEDA LGBTQ+ ALLY WEEKS 2024. My student staff colleague Aki and I were the main organizers of this event!

Much like the previous two years, we held parades on four campuses: Tokorozawa, Toyama, Nishi-Waseda, and Waseda. However, the atmosphere felt different because we made a big change in the theme of the parades. 

This year, we set "remembrance" as the theme. Many of you may know that November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance, and December 1 is World AIDS Day. Inspired by the two very important days near the dates of our parades, we organized the parades as on-campus actions to remember those who have lost their lives.

The following is the description of the parades we have put on our flyer.
*In this text, we use the word "minority" to mean "people who are excluded structurally from the society for deviating from social norms."

"Minorities” have long been treated as if invisible. This erasure, a form of violence, can be even more pronounced after death. With remembrance as our theme, we organize the parades to honor and acknowledge the queer individuals who have left us for various reasons. Through these events, we invite you to explore forms of solidarity that extend and go beyond rainbow glitter.

I myself was also in the midst of exploring how to remember the people who are no longer here, and how to act against the society in which the lives of queer individuals and "minorities" are lost every day. Therefore, we decided to hold the "Conversation Lounge, Special Edition: A Pre-Event DIY Sign-Making Session" to think about and discuss the theme with other participants of the parades.

In this pre-event, each of the participants created a sign to hold in the parades. After making them, we took time to share our thoughts and feelings put into the signs. Each person created a unique sign with unique ideas. We the staff members were given much insight.

We held the parades on Tokorozawa and Toyama campuses a week after the pre-event, and on Nishi-Waseda and Waseda campuses another week later. Nearly 150 people in total came to join us, including students, faculty, staff, and non-Waseda-affiliated members! We walked through the four campuses while chanting and holding signs in lines.

Here are some of the comments from the participants!

"Really enjoy being together with all of you. I mean, it's really a sense of community, even though it only lasted for 15 minutes."

「昨年と違い自分の作ったプラカードを持って歩いたので、より自分で発信するパレード、と言う感じがしました。」

「現在4年生だが、このようなパレードに初めて参加した。2年生の時は存在を知らず、建物の中から声を聞いていた。3年生の時は勇気が出ず参加しなかった。卒業目前の4年生になって、参加出来てうれしい。最初は怖かったが、一体感を感じることが出来た。」

"It was very empowering marching with fellow queer folks, including faculty and staff, around campus!"

「最初より徐々に列が長くなるのをみて連帯感を感じて感慨深い気持ちになった」

I found it meaningful for us to gather on campuses once a year to be visible, raise our voices, and acknowledge the community. I was so deeply empowered by the participants!

Thank you all for participating in, paying much attention to, and supporting the parades!