[Tsuwabuki]

My band director used to say "There are white rooms, and there are red rooms. No pink rooms!" Given the number of gay and bisexual couples I knew in high school, there were plenty of pink rooms without anatomical sex preventing it.

"Separate but equal" is inherently unequal. Many feminists, such as myself, find this applies no less to segregation based on sex or gender (and subsequently, gender identity) than it does to race (there is more than one type of feminism, and the feminism that promotes ultimately biological or inherent differences in males and females prevents true equality is one I consider very flawed, since I consider most gender to be constructed and imposed, rather than inherent).

I recognise Nyororin's concerns (and have in fact been a victim of sexual assault, myself. Luckily, the attacker got spooked, and never got very far), but what is practical now is different from what gender theory tells us should be. Segregated bathrooms and segregated concerts make sense in a context where sexual assault is a distinct possibility, yet the mere culturalisation during formative years by gender specific rooms, roles, activities leads to the view of "the other" and this is a component of a culture where sexual assault is a widespread threat rather than a rare occurrence by a truly psychotic individual. We should decry the necessity of such things while working towards a state of cultural maturity where these things are not as necessary as they once were, and finally, not necessary at all.

When we separate people into groups, we, by virtue of the grouping, assign values to each group. As long as we continue to separate "boys" from "girls" (quotes used in acknowledgement of transgendered individuals) in major areas of life, there will never be equality based on the merits of individuals as individuals. Bathroom usage, especially during pre-school and kindergarten really does have a gender-forcing component to it, as it is often the first time there is constant pressure to conform behavior (go to this room or that room) based solely on anatomical sex. Plenty of children fail to recognise the reason for this, and some even state the actual feminist question themselves "Why?" They find the situation initially uncomfortable, since our family bathrooms are rarely segregated. For transgendered individuals, this can often be traced back to as the first point at which they realise their gender does not match their sex. Before, it didn't matter, and then suddenly it does. Bathrooms will continue to be a point of fear for many years to come.

Much of this is general theory about the philosophy of gender, and its applications on sociology, psychology, and political science, and doesn't have to do specifically with Japan, although there are plenty of examples in Japan that are much clearer than western counterparts.

On a semi-related note, Barack Obama declared June 2009 to be LGBT Pride Month in America.