※To the Japanese page (日本語はこちら): https://www.waseda.jp/inst/gscenter/news/2025/10/17/8649/
Queering Waseda! Pride Weeks 2026― Reexamining the “Normal” at Waseda ―
Setting “queering” as a starting point, we create an opportunity to notice discomfort in everyday life, rethink what is considered “normal” by ourselves and by society, and turn these insights into action.
At the GS Center, we understand “queering” as the practice of questioning and reexamining the societal biases and structures that underlie notions of what is “normal” and “right,” in light of the diversity of gender and sexuality, including the presence of the LGBTQ+ community.
This event aims to provide a space where LGBTQ+ individuals, their allies, and those interested in these issues can meet, connect, and experience solidarity, introduce the GS Center to a wider campus community, and expand a network of like-minded people.
LINE UP
Queering Waseda! Pride Weeks 2026 will include four events and one collaboration café with “Orange Cat” of the Waseda International House of Literature (the Haruki Murakami Library).
▼WAACKING: Learn. Dance. Respect.
▼LGBTQ+ Students with Disabilities and/or Diverse Racial, Ethnic, or National Backgrounds
▼Pride Parades-Queering Waseda!2-Campus Pride:Make Waseda Shine with Your True Self
▼Learn about gender and sexuality with a card game! Ally Dojo
▼Orange Cat & The GS Center Collaboration
WAACKING: Learn. Dance. Respect.
DO YOU KNOW THE ROOTS OF WAACKING?
But opportunities to learn about its roots — and the people and communities whose expressions shaped this culture — are surprisingly limited.
WAACKING is a dance genre born out of the 1970s Los Angeles gay club scene, created and developed by Black and Latine gay men and trans feminine individuals! :sparkles:️
・Turn awareness into respect and action for the community
“I want to dance with HIHA!”
Come at your own pace and explore the culture of WAACKING in a safer space.
【Waseda Homecoming! Dance with HIHA!】
— LGBTQ+ and Ethnic Minority Culture in WAACKING —
(Location details will be shared with registered participants only. )
Registration form:
＜INSTRUCTOR: HIHA＞
Dancer & Event Organizer
HIHA started dancing at the age of 14 in Kobe and discovered Waacking during high school. After moving to Tokyo for university, they encountered Voguing and developed a deeper interest in Waacking, Voguing, and the queer communities and cultures behind these dance forms.
At 21, HIHA moved to New York for a year of study, connecting with local dancers and communities and performing in numerous shows. Through these experiences, they learned not only about dance, but also about the history of the cultures and communities waacking comes from.
After returning to Japan, HIHA continued working as a dancer and, in 2022, launched “tokyo kiki lounge,” a community event centered around Ballroom culture. Through connections with Ballroom communities in Japan and abroad, HIHA has continued organizing events and workshops featuring international guests, with more than 3,000 participants to date.
HIHA also organizes “Let Us Waack,” an event centered around Waacking, and works to share queer culture and the histories and communities behind these dance forms in Japan.
Through dance and community, HIHA aims to pass on their experiences to the next generation and create spaces where everyone can feel free to be themselves.
LGBTQ+ Students with Disabilities and/or Diverse Racial, Ethnic, or National Backgrounds
Description:
“I’m LGBTQ+, but I find it difficult to share my feelings and frustrations with others, including those related to disability or ethnicity…”
Have you ever experienced frustrations in your daily life or interactions with others because you navigate multiple aspects of marginalized identity, such as gender and sexuality, disability, nationality, race, or ethnicity?
For example:
– Being able to talk about each aspect of your identity separately, but finding it difficult to share experiences that involve multiple aspects of who you are.
Even when there are spaces where you can talk about individual aspects of your identity, it can still be difficult to share experiences and feelings that arise from the ways these aspects intersect.
At this Chat Lounge, we invite Waseda students who identify as LGBTQ+ (or are questioning whether they might be) and who also experience marginalization related to disability, nationality, race, ethnicity, or other aspects of their background (or think they might) to come together and talk about the frustrations they encounter in everyday campus life.
Why not join us for a casual conversation and share experiences that you may not often have the opportunity to talk about?
＼ Whether you’d like to join the conversation in person or share your thoughts through our survey, we’d love to hear from you! ／
This chat Lounge event is a special edition for ”Pride Weeks 2026”, held in collaboration with the “Waseda Student Barrier Encyclopedia” campaign!
＜What is “Waseda Student Barrier Encyclopedia”?＞
This participatory campaign anonymously collects and makes visible the experiences of Waseda students who face minority-related challenges due to factors such as gender, sexuality, disability, nationality, race, or ethnic background. It focuses on the various uncomfortable, frustrating, or troubling experiences they encounter in university life, including in classes and student clubs.
If meeting and talking with others in person feels a little daunting, but you’d still like to share your own experiences and concerns anonymously through our survey, we warmly welcome your participation.
Date & Time: Thursday, December 3, 2026, 5:00–6:30 PM
Location: To be held at Waseda University’s Toyama Campus (The exact location will be shared with registered participants only.)
Eligibility: Waseda University students who identify as LGBTQ+ (including those who may be questioning their identity) and have one or more marginalized identities related to disability, nationality, race, ethnicity, or other backgrounds.
Languages: Japanese and English
Format: This event is planned to be held in a hybrid format. If you wish to participate online, please select “Online” in the registration form.
Please note that, to facilitate smooth communication with in-person participants and ensure security, online participants are required to keep their cameras ON throughout the event. Participants who keep their cameras off may be denied entry or asked to leave the event.
Capacity: 15 participants
Registration Form:
【イベント申込】おしゃべりラウンジ～ LGBTQ+×障害やエスニシティのモヤモヤを語る会（2026/12/3） – フォームに記入する
Registration Deadline: Monday, November 30, 11:59 PM
Pride Parades-Queering Waseda!2-Campus Pride: Make Waseda Shine with Your True Self
Description: We’re gathering across two campuses to make Waseda shine with and for everyone who cherishes the existence of the LGBTQ+ community! It can be hard to do alone, but together, we can make it happen. Raise your voice and make your true self visible!
Campus, dates, times, and Parade Routes:
Waseda Campus: Friday, 12/4/2026, 12:35pm-12:50pm (Sign-in location: between buildings 11 and 14)
Parade Routes: https://waseda.box.com/s/klgewj7hkjhj2st01eomh82mwdpbrgvj
Nishi-Waseda Campus: Wednesday, 12/9/2026, 12:35pm-12:50pm (Sign-in location: in front of building 56)
Parade Routes: https://waseda.box.com/s/bkq9oktzwai597ixxwwqjswolxsd3lpe
Eligibility: Students, faculty and staff, and general public
Capacity: Up to 100 people
Languages: Any languages (Chants prepared by the GS Center are in Japanese and English)
Registration form: 【実施日当日まで申込可能 Same day application accepted】Queering Waseda! 2-Campus Pride Parades – フォームに記入する
※Same-day registration accepted
Learn about gender and sexuality with a card game! Ally Dojo
Description:
Would you like to have fun learning about gender, sexuality, and LGBTQ+ through card games and activities? At ‘Ally Dojo,’ participants learn basic knowledge about various identities while using card games to think together and consider how we can act in everyday situations. It’s a participatory event aimed not just at gaining knowledge, but also at applying what you’ve learned in real life. First-timers learning about gender and sexuality are also welcome. Feel free to join us!
Date & Time: Thursday, December 10, 2026, 5:45–7:45 PM
Location: To be held at Waseda University’s Waseda Campus (The exact location will be shared with registered participants only.)
Eligibility: Students, faculty and staff, and general public
Languages: Japanese
Registration form:
【イベント申込】ジェンダーセクシュアリティについてカードゲームで学ぶ！アライ道場 – フォームに記入する
Orange Cat & The GS Center Collaboration
Description: The GS Center is collaborating with the Orange Cat Cafe at the Haruki Murakami Library! The Cafe will have on exhibit archives of previous event posters, along with special collaboration menu items available for a limited time period. Take a moment in this everyday café space to reflect and rethink what is believed to be “normal.
Orange Cat: https://orangecat-wihl.com/
Dates and hours: Tuesday, 11/24/2026 – Thursday, 12/12/2026, 10:00 am – 5:00 am (Closed on Wednesdays and other dates specified by the International House of Literature)
Location: Orange Cat*, Wasaeda International House of Literature, B1, Waseda Campus
*An elevator is available in the building
Eligibility: Students, faculty and staff, and general public
Queering Waseda! Pride Weeks 2026 General Information
Fees
Free of charge
Requesting reasonable accommodations:
Please request at least three weeks prior to each event, through the webpage below
◆Reasonable accommodations for events hosted by the GS Center◆
Important Note on the Post-Event Reflection Report:
The GS Center will release an event reflection report, which will include a brief summary of how the event went, and the quotes from the conversations that participants had at the event. We will not release any identifying information about the individuals attending the event. If you do not want us to use your comments in the report, please let us know at any time.
Organized by:
Gender and Sexuality Center, Student Diversity Center, Waseda University
