We successfully completed the “WASEDA PRIDE PARADES ありのままでしあワセダ” on 11/27, 11/29, 12/4, and 12/7 in 2023!
Hello everyone! This is Tomohiro, one of the student staff members. In this post, I am reporting on the WASEDA PRIDE PARADES ありのままでしあワセダ of this year’s WASEDA LGBTQ+ ALLY WEEKS.
Just like last year, we held parades on Tokorozawa, Toyama, Nishi-Waseda, and Waseda campuses. Over 180 participants walked the parades all together.
Thank you everyone who has supported us and has come out to join us!
パレードの写真
Voice of the Participants
初めて参加しました。他の人と声を揃えながら歩くのが純粋に楽しくもあったし、自分の思いを口にして道行く人に伝えられて嬉しかったです。
とても楽しくて、なおかつ学んだ時間でした。日頃から世の中のジェンダー観に「なんでだ！？」って思い続ける中で、このイベントに出会ってその気持ちを外に出すことが出来ました。多くの人の前で声を上げることはとても勇気がいることだし、中には冷たい視線を向ける人もいることもわかりました。でも、参加したあとに私は自分の心がすこしホットになっている気がしました。これからも、皆で連帯をしめしていける人間になりたいと思える一日でした。
I felt empowered by being able to be loud and present, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of attendees and I felt like I have a queer/ally community that I can rely on.
I really appreciate the effort that was put into organizing these parades, you can really feel the dedication to create a safe and accessible space for everyone. It was really nice to see staff walk as well, though I wish it was made more visible by the university (how come there was a mass email to encourage students to go watch a baseball game but crickets for this?). I had a great time and loved being able to feel the community's presence. I felt super welcome and everyone had good vibes!
Conclusion
This year, I got the impression that more staff and faculty members walked with us than last year. It also made me happy to see the people talking to each other once we finished marching.
These parades have become a staple event for me personally although we have only done them twice thus far. I have no doubt that we will host the pride parades last year again, so please walk with us again!