Vulnerabilities, Resilience and Potential of Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Politices from Sexual Minority Survivors' Perspectives

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K13965
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 25030:Disaster prevention engineering-related
• Research Institution: Hirosaki University
• Principal Investigator: YAMASHITA Azusa 弘前大学, 男女共同参画推進室, 助教 (60762094)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 性的マイノリティ / LGBTQ+ / 災害 / 防災 / 脆弱性 / 要配慮 / レジリエンス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

There's been a need for research on how people of gender and sexual minorities experience disaster both nationally and internationally. In this research, I interviewed ten people of gender and sexual minorities who experienced Kumamoto Earthquakes (2016), Flood in Hokkaido and Tohoku (2016) and Hokkaido Iburi Tobu Earthquake (2018). Through this qualitative study, I documented what their struggles were and at what point of disaster it was experienced. This research also considered how they interacted with people around them and communities from a resilience perspective. Findings were published in papers in which I also analysed development of Japan's disaster policies from vulnerability and diversity perspectives.

Free Research Field

災害研究

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

性的マイノリティの人たちが，災害のどの時点でどのような困難に直面したのかを明らかにすることができた。特に，一般的には性的マイノリティの人たちの災害時の困難として，避難所での男女別施設や性別に関わる物資の受け渡しの場面がイメージされがちだが，本研究では，パートナーが同性であることやジェンダー表現への無理解へのおそれ，避難した場合の避難所運営者や他の避難者との衝突を避けようとして，避難所へ行くことができない（避難所にたどり着く前の段階にも困難がある）ことが明らかになった。以上のことは，避難所での包摂的な支援のあり方のみならず，誰一人取り残さない避難のあり方を検討するうえで示唆を与えるものである。