GID Link Representative　Nobu Shiita

Lecturer, Fukuoka Prefecture Human Rights Enlightenment Training Group
Born in 1970 FTM (trans male) party

Certified Disaster Prevention Specialist
Completed GID Society Expert Training
Certified Mindfulness Professional Instructor
Psychological counselor and depression advisor, family therapy counselor, etc.

 

After working as a tour operator, he managed a travel agency. Later, he closed his travel agency and began studying the spiritual world, which had always interested him. Feeling the need for mental healing, she studied mindfulness, coaching, psychological counseling and therapy, and obtained certification in the U.S. in healing used in medical institutions. Currently, she holds seminars, counseling, and therapy as her current position.

2013-2016 (Ippan Shadan) gid.jp – Association of People Living with Gender Identity Disorder – After serving as the first Kyushu Branch Director, she founded GID Link.

Since 2012, she has been teaching classes as a GT (guest teacher) at elementary schools, universities, and medical school nursing departments.

As a lecturer, she has taught human rights education and staff training for prefectural and municipal governments, students at public and prefectural elementary schools, universities, and vocational schools, teachers, PTA, mental health workers, civil service commissioners, hospitals, and businesses, as well as human rights education workshops for vice principals and vice principals at the Fukuoka Education Office, principals meetings, citizen lectures, prefectural citizen lectures, and many other activities to promote awareness.

As a psychotherapist, she provides support and consultation services for people with gender dysphoria, their families, and supporters.

Nobu Shiita Profile

Hello everyone.
When I was born, I thought I was crazy because the term “gender identity disorder” did not even exist.
As a child, I believed that one day I would grow a penis.

I hated my kindergarten skirt uniform and red school bag.
I thought I was strange and that “people mustn’t know about it,” so I managed to live with it.

When I entered junior high school, the uniform, menstruation caused by secondary sexual characteristics, and my growing breasts became even more painful.
Around this time, bullying and harassment began.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I attended a private all-girls missionary middle and high school.

At the time, I was a softball pitcher and had a grip strength of 68 kg. My strength was the strongest of all the students in the school, so there was no overt bullying.
However, I was often harassed by people hiding my bags and shoes, but I still thought it was better than the kids at co-ed schools.

When I became a high school student, I asked myself, “Do I have to hide myself for the rest of my life?” “If I have to live like this, what was the point of being born? Wouldn’t it be better to die?” I thought about many things every day.

I even attempted suicide. I even cut my wrist. But I am an only child and I thought how sad my parents would be if I died. I decided I would never do that.

My first job was as a tour conductor. It was a job I loved, but there was a rule that women had to wear skirt suits and makeup. The stress of pretending to be something I was not grew.

Around that time, I watched the TV personality Ryutaro Kamioka’s program “50 People Asked,” and learned that there were many people like me in the world.

On the other hand, I began to feel the limits of living my life hiding who I am.

I quit my job as a tour guide and began to work at various workplaces, including a pub cook, a dry cleaner, a gas station, a moving company, a lunch box shop, and a sales clerk.
Fortunately, all of these workplaces recognized me and hired me as an educator.
A few of them even hired me as an employee.
However, when they found out that I was an FTM, they dismissed me, saying that they did not want such a special person.
Even in my job search, I was dropped because “I look like a man, but I went to an all-girls school.
That was the reason I could not find a job.

When I was about to give up, a girlfriend I was dating at the time asked me, “Why are you sneaking around? If you are sneaking around like that, you don’t deserve to love a woman.Nobu is Nobu, right? You should have more confidence in yourself.” It has nothing to do with gender.
At that moment, I said, “Oh, there are people in the world who think like this. I didn’t do anything wrong, so I should stop hiding!” And I thought, “I’m not going to do that. So I decided to come out.
In my time, there was no word for “gender identity disorder” and no one to talk to about it.
Now there is a law, and if you meet certain conditions, you can change your gender. I am now a male on the family register.

And more and more people are trying to “know.”
But even in these times, “children’s issues” have not changed at all from decades ago when I was struggling with them.
I was shocked… We must not leave things as they are.
We adults must convey the message.
With this in mind, I began my activities.

In 2011, I became involved in the Chugoku and Kyushu chapters of the gid.jp Japan Gender Identity Disorder Association. 2012, the Chugoku and Kyushu chapters became independent, and in 2013, I became the first Kyushu chapter president.
Since 2012, I have been teaching as a GT (guest teacher) at elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, universities, and medical school nursing departments, etc. During my activities as chapter president until March 2016, I have realized the importance of “knowing.”

However, most people rarely have the opportunity to hear the basic story.
The lack of “knowing” leads to discrimination, prejudice, and bullying.
So isn’t it important to share LGBTQ+ knowledge with as many people as possible?

If so, I wanted to create a place where people could hear basic stories anytime, so in 2016, I launched GID Link, a support group to strengthen the “bond” between the parties and their families, friends, schools, workplaces, society, and communities.

Specifically, we focus on educational activities such as consultation support, human rights training, human rights learning, lectures, and exchange events for people with gender identity disorder, people suffering from gender identity disorder, their families, and supporters.

We would appreciate it if you could pass on to others the information, “I heard that if you go to GID Link, you can hear some basic talks.”
The social gatherings are full of candid talks that are hard to hear in public, and are very popular.
Please come and visit us. We are sincerely looking forward to seeing you.
I am speaking from the perspective of someone who has gender identity disorder and strongly desires surgery.

Each person has different concerns. I believe that you will understand better if you hear from people in various positions.
We do not want to be treated specially, we just want to live the same way as you do.
Do you understand what I mean by “I would rather die at home than go to a shelter?”

At the shelter, there are gender categories, and sexual minorities who have not come out may be exposed. If they are found out, they can be fired from their jobs, their families as well as themselves can be bullied and discriminated against, and they can no longer live in the neighborhood they used to live in. They can also develop a variety of diseases if they do not receive hormone treatment. It can lead to life and death issues.
You don’t have to understand. But please don’t deny it. If you think that there are people like this, that is all we ask.
If you can receive the same services that everyone else can receive, that alone will reduce the difficulties.
I keep telling you so that many people will know this.