Waseda WeeklyWaseda Weekly

"What I'm looking for isn't something special, but to be accepted as I am"

Fukase Stewart, fourth-year School of International Liberal Studies

At Waseda Campus. Okuma Memorial Hall in the background.

Fukase was born and raised in the Philippines and has a Filipino father and a Japanese mother. He is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and since 2022 has been sharing his daily life and the dance he has self-taught on social media, garnering much attention and sympathy from many. He has 230,000 followers on Instagram, 130,000 on TikTok, and 40,000 on YouTube! We spoke to Fukase about what inspired him to start posting on social media, his thoughts on the current state of LGBTQ+ issues, and what he would like to challenge himself with in the future.

-What made you start sharing about yourself on YouTube and TikTok?

My older brother, Fukase Stan (graduated from School of International Liberal Studies in 2020), who is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a drag queen, runs a YouTube channel and began posting videos in earnest around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeing this, I myself, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, began wanting to share my daily life.

A photo of the two of them together. This was taken in March 2024 when they were invited as influencers to the opening event of the Korean brand GENTLE MONSTER x TAMBURINS. Fukase is on the right.

In addition to YouTube, I also opened TikTok and Instagram accounts, where I began expressing herself in various ways. I have planned streams where I dressed up as a drag queen, shows off my favorite dance moves, and expresses my views on LGBTQ+ issues.

A video recommended by Fukase. He planned to spend a day pretending to be Stan.

--What kind of reaction did you get from sending out the message?

At first, I received a lot of comments expressing hatred towards LGBTQ+ people, which shocked me more than I expected. However, I also thought that it was important to continue sharing my message because there are still many people who lack understanding of LGBTQ+ people, so I have used those negative reactions as motivation.

Now I'm able to work with more confidence than before, and some people continue to watch me and comment, "Seeing how much you've grown is like watching your own little brother, and I'm so happy." I've struggled with my sexuality in the past, but through my posts on social media, I've found that there are people who accept me for who I am, and it warmed my heart. I realized that what I want isn't to be special, but to be accepted for who I am.

These activities have paid off, and as my number of followers has increased, I have been recognized as an influencer and have had the opportunity to show off my dancing skills at events where artists such as LE SSERAFIM and BTS have been performing, which I find very rewarding.

Left: With Stan (left) at a Calvin Klein event. He was very surprised when BTS member Jungkook showed up.
Right: A photo of them participating in a dance event in Shibuya in May 2023. Fukase is in the bottom left.

--What do you think about the current situation of LGBTQ+ in Japan?

I lived in the Philippines until I was in elementary school, and at the time I felt that there were many people there who directly expressed their dislike for LGBTQ+ people. On the other hand, in Japan, I don't often experience harm through words or actions, but I can sense that people are trying to distance themselves from me, a person who is LGBTQ+.

In order for LGBTQ+ people to be accepted by society, I believe that education in Japan needs to change, such as by teaching in school health classes that it is perfectly normal for people to be attracted to people of the same sex, not just opposite-sex people. LGBTQ+ people are people just like everyone else. Their sexual orientation just happens to be a minority, but otherwise, nothing changes. If more people can see things this way, I believe we can build a society where LGBTQ+ people can live proudly.

In fact, Waseda University has Center for Gender and Sexuality (Gender and Sexuality Center) is set up and there are plenty of opportunities to learn about LGBTQ+, so my friends around me accept me as a matter of course. I believe that if this kind of environment spreads throughout society, people like us will not be special.

Fukase during the interview

--Please tell us why you decided to study at Waseda University's School of International Liberal Studies and what you are studying.

In the Philippines, where I lived until I was 12, all school classes were taught in English. I moved to Japan when I entered junior high school and lived my student life in Japanese, but I wanted to study in an environment where I would use English on a daily basis again, so I decided to enter School of International Liberal Studies.

I was also attracted to School of International Liberal Studies because of the freedom to study a wide range of subjects, and I am actually taking classes in history, geography, languages, gender, and other subjects that fit my interests. The knowledge and ideas I have acquired there are useful in my daily video production, and I feel that they have helped me broaden the scope of my expression.

--Please tell us about your future prospects.

The thing I want to focus on the most is YouTube. In May of this year, I opened my own YouTube account, separate from my brother's. It was the first time I filmed a video by myself and tried my hand at editing it. I mainly post about my daily life, and I try to make videos that people watch to the end by adding sound effects and text. I currently have around 40,000 subscribers, so I'm aiming to reach 100,000 by the time I graduate from university by posting videos targeted at university students my age.

I also want to further hone my dancing skills, and one day I hope to dance on stage with celebrities like Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, who I admire. By showing more of my true self, I hope to become an artist who can resonate with more people.

Fukase's recommended dance video is dancing to "BODY" by the K-Pop girl group MEOVV.

911th

Interview, text and photography: Waseda Weekly Reporter (SJC student staff)
Hinari Ukiya 4th year student, School of Culture, Media and Society

Wearing a bracelet from his brother Stan's apparel brand "byXTRA"

【profile】
Originally from the Philippines, he graduated from Chitoku High School. He listens to a wide range of music genres, including Western music and K-POP, and enjoys singing as well as dancing. Influenced by his older brother, he recently started weight training. His current obsession is playing the Pokemon game, which was popular back in the day. He says it's fun to get back into something he was obsessed with as a child now that he's an adult.

Instagram: @stw.xv
YouTube: @stewiefukase
TikTok: @stw.xv