It's Not Like It's a Secret

by Misa Sugiura

“Hn.” She nods her head in assent. “But that’s . . . awful. You can’t call people freaks if you’re okay with them.” “Freak is bad?” “Freak is bad.” She frowns, then waves her hand dismissively. “I meant that the gay are different—they are! You are!” I open my mouth to protest, but she cuts me off. “Chotto! Be quiet and listen to me. In Japan, be gay is not a sin like in America. Just different—you cannot deny that gay is different from most people. But in Japan, too different is uncomfortable for the other people. It’s disrespectful to make the other people uncomfortable. Even if you can’t help being different, it’s your duty to become like others. It’s your duty to fit in. So in Japan, the gay can’t be out of the cabinet. They can’t get married. They can’t have children.” She puts her hand on my back, gently. “But different is okay in America, even though I forget sometimes. You are okay, even though you are different.”