Stonewall Japan is a non-judgmental network and community of support for people in Japan desiring an outlet for sexuality and gender expression in Japan. Stonewall Japan is open to anyone regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality or affiliation with the JET Program. People in our Stonewall Japan closed Facebook group come from a wide variety of backgrounds and places. Some are immensely different to our own and we must recognise that we all have different experiences. Although all of us identify in the LGBTQIA+ spectrum of identity, many of our members also experience oppression on levels different than our own.
Stonewall Japan defines “safe space” as a place where anyone can be relaxed and fully self-expressed, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, age, physical or mental ability. This includes any form of discriminatory or aggravating comments. Stonewall Japan supports a dialogue but will not tolerate “trolls”. Stonewall Japan’s name comes from the riots in 1969 which was pioneered by queer and trans people of colour and we will continue to ensure that marginalised voices continue to be heard within Stonewall Japan without fear of being attacked by others.
Please understand that to ensure that this group is a safe space, members must abide by the Safe Space Guidelines and these basic Rules of Conduct:
You agree to treat others with respect, to refrain from harassment and public disparagement of others, and to respect others’ right to privacy. In addition, you understand that public postings on Stonewall-associated media are subject to moderation at any time for any reason as this is a recreational group whose main aims are fun, fellowship, and mutual support.
Safe Space Guidelines:
- We can disagree with another person’s point of view without putting that person down, being condescending or disrespecting their boundaries.
- We can be sensitive to the diversity of our group and its varying experiences. We will be careful to respect the agency of others and not treat individuals/experiences as universal.
- We can speak our opinions using the first person instead of using you. e.g. “I think kindness is important” not “You are being mean”, or “Sorry I made you feel that way” not “Sorry you feel that way”. Why there are better options than using “you” and how to use them.
- We can avoid making assumptions about other people, their opinions, beliefs or behaviors.
- We can be aware that some topics may be uncomfortable to talk about, which can often offer a positive learning experience, but does not entitle members to demand or expect education, perspective, or personal stories from other members.
- When we disagree with others, we may do so constructively. We may provide supplementary resources (not limited to documents, relevant web-links, etc.), ask open questions, and grant others the opportunity to process and respond in order to encourage understanding.
- Applicants to the Facebook group will be contacted and verified as living in Japan, having lived in Japan, or plan to soon be living in Japan, before being approved as members.
Rules of Conduct:
We understand that not all of us are ‘out’ in Japan, so we have made the Facebook group a ‘closed’ one. To protect member’s privacy, please refrain from quoting, screen printing or sharing content outside the group.
Stonewall Japan does not wish to censor any topics or opinions. However, the use of slurs, transphobic, homophobic, mysoginistic, racist, or other discriminatory and demeaning language will be met with disciplinary action. Trolling and other behaviors meant to incite anger and hurt will be treated with zero tolerance, facing deletion and documentation.
Please adhere to Stonewall’s policy on maintaining a safe space in this group. Members who violate the safe space will be warned, then removed from the group if such behavior proceeds. Unacceptable behavior includes (but is not limited to):
- Insensitive remarks.
- Berating questions.
- Demanding to be educated by others.
- Refusing to listen to other experiences.
- Talking down others’ experiences or Invalidating others’ experience. For example, comparing one-off or rare experiences to everyday microaggressions as if they are the same.
- Overposting.
- Spamming.
- Unrelated content.
- Extreme content without warning.
- Nudity or extreme profanity.
- Slurs
- Trolling
- Racism, Transphobia, Biphobia, Gender Insensitivity, amongst other harmful perspectives
Warnings may be delivered both publicly and privately. Stonewall has a zero tolerance policy against discriminatory and/or consistently aggressive behavior. If people are not prepared to understand other points of view, they will be removed from the group. We recommend using a search engine to better understand someone’s point of view. Empathy is a valuable asset in our community. Do not be surprised if people don’t give you the answers you were looking for. Members aren’t entitled to explanations or responses from other members.
When you feel the safe space guidelines are being violated, it’s your responsibility to recognise that, take a step back and contact a moderator/admin of the group.
Stonewall Japan Disciplinary Protocol
- If you think a member has violated the Safe Space Guidelines, and a [Mod Post] has yet to be made, a moderator should be contacted.
- The moderator will write a [Mod Post] within the thread to confirm that the moderators are aware, and processing the violation.
- A moderator will contact the member who violated the Safe Space Guidelines, warn them, and ask them to refrain from posting in the thread.
- If the member disregards the warning and continues to post content that violates the SSG, the available moderators will disable further comments from that member until a decision has been made on whether to issue another warning, delete their comment, or vote to remove them.
- If voted removed, the member is immediately removed. A moderator will contact the member and explain the reason of removal. The member will then be known as ‘removed on probation’. If the member is not removed, the process will continue from step 3.
- All warnings, comment deletions, and removals are noted. A detailed record will be kept and relevant updates shared in the respective section when a resolution is reached through moderator action, including comment deletion.
- If a comment deletion or member removal occurs, a report for members of the group will be posted no longer than two weeks after the moderating action took place.
Stonewall Japan Probation Protocol
- If a member has been removed, they will not be able to rejoin the group for at least 6 months.
- After 6 months from removal, they are allowed to request to join again.
- The moderating team will process all requests.
- After the moderating team has discussed, a majority vote will decide whether they shall be allowed into the group, or the probation shall be extended for another 6 months. If a majority verdict cannot be decided the President will decide.
Stonewall Japan Dispute Protocol
- If someone thinks that the moderators have unfairly moderated, they are free to email president[at]stonewalljapan[dot]org for an inquiry.
- The inquiry will be discussed by the moderators, and a majority decision will be needed to either overturn the moderated action. If a majority verdict cannot be decided the President will decide.
- A response within two week of being received.
For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at stonewallsig@ajet.net
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