Monkey Takano (54) is a sign language teacher, transgender man, and activist for the queer and Deaf communities based in Tokyo.
Born in Kawasaki to Deaf parents, Takano came out as queer to his family in his early twenties, strongly asserting his freedom to live as he chose from that point onward.
As both a trans and Deaf man, Takano faced a number of obstacles in Japanese society.
Upon graduating from his Deaf high school, Takano joined a major company through a disability-inclusive hiring program. After becoming unemployed at the age of twenty-nine, however, he faced discrimination during the hiring process as he hunted for new work.
Many landlords even rejected his applications for apartments on the basis that his Deafness would be a hazard if there was a fire.
He also struggled to find community in the LGBTQIA+ scene in these early days, lamenting that queer events lacked sign language interpreters; the one Deaf gay group he found was initially unwelcoming because Takano had not yet transitioned. In the pre-internet era, he had a hard time finding information about queer topics.
In the years since, Takano has worked hard to build a bridge between Deaf and hearing people through sign language instruction, as well as to raise awareness among the Deaf community on queer identities.
He often gives lectures about his life and upbringing as a transgender person, and organizes gatherings at Pride and other queer rights events to bring more Deaf and LGBTQIA+ individuals into his fold.
In 2015, Takano and his long-time partner, Yumiko Takashima (55), had the distinction of becoming the first queer couple to register under Setagaya Ward’s partnership system, a stand-in for the legalization of same-sex marriage for which the community longs.
“Living with the person I love for over twenty-six years, supporting one another, and yet still being unable to officially become a family has been a huge challenge of being trans, ” says Takano, who is still listed on Japan’s family registry as his sex assigned at birth.
Part of the We Can't Be Erased lesson, which looks at Trans+ communities in Tokyo including the legacy of the Shinjuku Boys.
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