Abstract This introduction aims to situate four research articles on “Queer Lives in Contemporary Japan” in the larger field of gender and sexuality studies. It argues that, historically, the concepts “queer” or “transgender” are not particularly novel. Early twentieth-century progressives in Japan observed and sought social acceptance and suggested that individuals thought of as “sexually abnormal” would one day outnumber single-sex/gender men and women. Yet, the Japan story is more complicated and contradictory than the notion of a neat progression from the 1920s to our own moment would suggest. It also has more local and cultural flavor than the increasingly global sexual rights struggle might indicate. Ultimately, the introduction highlights the significant self-conscious individualism and self-determination a broad range of individuals bring to bear in order to pursue the increasing normalization of queer lives.

中文翻译：

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简介：酷儿生活在当代日本

摘要 本介绍旨在将四篇关于“当代日本酷儿生活”的研究文章置于更大的性别和性研究领域。它认为，从历史上看，“酷儿”或“跨性别者”的概念并不是特别新颖。二十世纪早期日本的进步人士观察并寻求社会接受，并建议被认为“性异常”的个人总有一天会超过单性别/性别的男性和女性。然而，日本的故事比从 1920 年代到我们自己的时代的整齐进展的概念所暗示的更为复杂和矛盾。它还具有比日益全球化的性权利斗争可能表明的更多的地方和文化风味。最终，