A Facebook page entitled Fridae Shelter Project | シェルタープロジェクト has been set up to allow those outside Japan and away from the disaster area to offer accommodation, and provide information and contact particulars so that those seeking temporary shelter can get in touch with them.
Fridae hopes that by launching this non-profit community service in a difficult time, the LGBT community and its allies can come forward to support those in Japan in a meaningful way by offering a solution to one of their most immediate needs.
Earthquake and tsunami survivors in the affected region currently face intermittent water, electric power and gas supplies, housing shortage, damaged transport infrastructure, a major reconstruction effort, tremors and the threat of radiation contamination due to damage to nuclear reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi power plants.
Hosts of any gender, sexual orientation and from any country are welcome to participate, by simply posting their accommodation information based on a simple format described on the Facebook page. Posting of hosting information are categorised by countries on the respective "Notes" pages. Guidelines are available in English, Japanese and Chinese languages.
Guests seeking shelter may respond or make enquires with the prospective hosts through their Facebook accounts. Anyone who is LGBTQ as well as their friends and family in Japan are welcome to approach the prospective hosts.
Prospective hosts and guests are at their own discretion to agree on the terms of the hosting arrangement. Individuals participating in this exercise are advised to take necessary precautions to protect private property and rights. Disclosure of addresses, phone numbers and contact information are done at one's own risks. Fridae accepts no responsibility for any arrangements made between hosts and guests.
Founded in 2001, Fridae is today Asia's leading gay and lesbian social networking site that has connected hundreds of thousands of LGBT people across Asia and beyond.
The Fridae Shelter Project | シェルタープロジェクト Facebook page can be accessed at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/fridae-shelter-project-シェルタープロジェクト/204546276241321?sk=wall . Please click on "Notes" to see latest postings by countries.
Queries about this project can be sent by email to japanresponse2011@fridae.com. Fridae welcomes feedback, updates about local conditions and suggestions about how our community can help to provide assistance and relief to the affected.
For non-Facebook users or if people wish to keep their request confidential, please email japanresponse2011@fridae.com about your hosting availability or needs. We will then coordinate with you directly regarding your request.
Printable Version
RSS Feed: 
Reader's Comments
on the other hand the tsunami has killed thousands. yet its radiation that is being reported on in the news, not the disaster victims. it may not affect us outside of the region but that doesnt mean its not a big deal. people need heat, food and a place to live. i think this project is a great idea. wish i could be of help to them but my place aint big enough.
at least in targeting the LGBT community, we won't come under attack from the people we'd like to help out.
I have had wonderful gay experiences in japan, but under no circumstance will I pretend that there isn't a gay stigma there. So yeah, there is a reason it's directed towards the LGBT community. Besides, as long as we can help at least some people there, it counts.
It matters.
If affected st8 people at this tragic juncture can still rebuff the kindness offered by LGBT over the notion of their own silly ingrained "stigma/discrimination", then seriously they (the st8 ones) deserve all they get and more. Calling a spade a spade.
I don't have Japanese colleagues or friends stranded in France to offer accomodation. I had a Japanese colleague visiting me exactly when the catastrophe happened. He had to leave the next Wednesday, and he did, of course, because his wife is there and it is his country. Let's also not forget the dignity of Japanese people.
On the other hand, if it had been an emergency and he had been unable to go back, I know he would not even have thought of refusing my hospitality because I am gay. Maybe he would have refused not to embarrass me and would have looked for private accomodation. But it would have been the same if I am straight.
All my straight colleagues and friends I can think of would have acted in the same way.
A typical club with >1000 square-foot of open space could house 50 sleepers. A typical gay sauna could easily house more. If we were to add up the available open space in such gay business premises, thousands of homeless gays could have been temporarily accommodated. Each refugee could be provided with a sleeping bag and, preferably, a locker. If there aren't lockers available, the refugees could lock up their belongings inside a bag, chained to a fixture in the premises, with a padlock.
Of course, living in such conditions is less than comfortable and ideal for most modern people. However, given a choice between the above-mentioned option and living in a typical refugee shelter with thousands of homophobic refugees who are in an extremely bad mood, I would opt for the former. I'd rather live in a gay-friendly environment even if I don't have a private room, a comfortable bed and a private bathroom. The last thing I want when I am homeless is to be abused physically or verbally by homophobes. Moreover, it's only a short-term solution. The long-term solution will be sorted out later by the Japanese government.
In Singapore, for example, there are at least 2 gay disco clubs, 2 gay KTV pubs, 1 lesbian cafe, 2 gay bars, and 4 gay bathhouses. Assuming the owners of all these businesses were to agree to offer such aids, at least 600-800 sleepers could have been accommodated in their premises overnight. I'm sure that there are much more such gay businesses in Japan which can offer sleeping space to the victims. Hence, if insufficient volunteers respond to Fridae's call to offer free accommodation in their residence to the victims, resulting in more demand for alternative shelter for Japanese LGBT victims than supply, Fridae could approach the gay businesses to suggest the above-described arrangements.
Please log in to use this feature.