Is there a Japanese 'gay identity'?

Attempted suicide, psychological health and exposure to harassment among Japanese homosexual, bisexual or other men questioning their sexual orientation recruited via the internet

“…Arguably, homosexuality as a discrete category is a recent concept in Japan, which may explain why nearly one third of our GBQ sample identified as bisexual, unsure/questioning, or other. 13 Homosexual communities have not developed to the extent as they have in Western cultures, leaving many GBQ men feeling isolated and turning to the internet as a primary medium for identifying sexual partners and other GBQ men. Because homosexuality remains a taboo issue and a potential source of personal and familial dishonour, many Japanese GBQ men conceal their same-sex sexual attractions to minimise social shame and vulnerability to discrimination or bullying.…”

“…Japanese culture tends to be conservative about sexuality, and same-sex sexual behaviour in Japan is viewed particularly negatively. 12 13 Japanese men who experience psychological tension from their homosexual feelings might not identify themselves as homosexual, and might experience difficulty disclosing their same-sex feelings to others. Japanese men who openly acknowledge same-sex behaviour or who identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual may often encounter forms of discrimination, including verbal intimidation or physical abuse.…”

What's in a Name? Bisexuality, Transnational Sexuality Studies and Western Colonial Legacies

“…22 The use of time-and place-specific identity categories such as 'gay' and 'lesbian' as universals by Western scholars and activists has been critiqued as inaccurate and ethnocentric. 23 While justification for such universalisation tends to stress the political and ethical importance of identifying 'transcultural features inherent in the experience of same-sex attraction itself', 24 critics point instead to the ways that universalisation often tells us more about the observer than it does the context under scrutiny. Thus, as Carole Vance notes, '[t]he literature routinely regards opposite gender sexual contact as "heterosexuality" and same gender contact as "homosexuality", as if the same phenomena were being observed in all societies in which these acts occurred'.…”

Negotiating Sex and Sexualities: The Use of Sexual Tags in the Brazilian Sex Trade Workplace

“…8, 281). Different terms are used to describe subtle variation in one's sexual orientation (e.g., McLelland, 2000;Padilla, 2008). For example, entendido is supposedly less attached to gender roles as an expression of a person who is attracted to a real man, a closeted person, or a less critical term for homosexual (Green, 1999).…”