Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1787/

Reason she didn't transition earlier

One of reasons I couldn't come out as early as I think I wanted to was having a death penalty case always weighed upon me I felt like I can't do transition, you know transgender transition is too in your face. It's not like coming out gay and actually go in front of that jury and look exactly the same as I did before. It doesn't work like that when you transition, so I was always paranoid about that. Just like you probably paranoid and I imagined that all LGBT people during my era were paranoid about being outed and identified and targeted.

It was something that was just going to happen once you came out whether voluntarily or involuntarily so you might as well do it voluntarily. If you have the opportunity, you might as well do it on your own terms. So doing death cases though kept me for many years from transitioning, I probably would’ve done it maybe 10 years earlier maybe 20 years of we’ll see there was a period of time in the 90s when I remember thinking I needed to transition. I can't live like this anymore, I can't be the phony that I've gotten good at being.


gender identity gender transition identity lawyers LGBTQ+ people transgender

Date: July 14, 2020

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Matthew Saito

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum; Japanese American Bar Association

Interviewee Bio

Mia Yamamoto is a Sansei transgender attorney and civil rights activist. She was born in the Poston concentration camp in Arizona in 1943 where her parents were incarcerated. She joined the Army and served in the Vietnam War. Inspired by her father's courage to speak out against the unconstitutional incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, she attended the University of California Los Angeles's School of Law and has been a leader in the field of social justice, including working with the Japanese American Bar Association. (March 2021)

*This is one of the main projects completed by The Nikkei Community Internship (NCI) Program intern each summer, which the Japanese American Bar Association and the Japanese American National Museum have co-hosted.

Kip Fulbeck
en
ja
es
pt
Fulbeck,Kip

The right to say who you are

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

en
ja
es
pt
Alfredo Kato
en
ja
es
pt
Kato,Alfredo

What does Nikkei mean to you? (Spanish)

(b. 1937) Professional journalist

en
ja
es
pt
Kristi Yamaguchi
en
ja
es
pt
Yamaguchi,Kristi

Support from the Japanese American community

(b.1971) Professional figure skater and Olympic gold medalist.

en
ja
es
pt
Lorraine Bannai
en
ja
es
pt
Bannai,Lorraine

Heightened awareness of identity as a Japanese American

(b. 1955) Lawyer

en
ja
es
pt
Dale Minami
en
ja
es
pt
Minami,Dale

Reasons for conformity and competitiveness in Gardena, California

(b. 1946) Lawyer

en
ja
es
pt
Dale Minami
en
ja
es
pt
Minami,Dale

Reflections on the importance of history

(b. 1946) Lawyer

en
ja
es
pt
Johnnie Morton
en
ja
es
pt
Morton,Johnnie

Growing up and identity

(b.1971) Professional football player.

en
ja
es
pt
Mako Nakagawa
en
ja
es
pt
Nakagawa,Mako

Message for future generations

(1937 - 2021) Teacher

en
ja
es
pt
Chiye Tomihiro
en
ja
es
pt
Tomihiro,Chiye

Don’t Make Waves

Chaired the Chicago JACL's Redress Committee.

en
ja
es
pt
Chiye Tomihiro
en
ja
es
pt
Tomihiro,Chiye

What to Do Next

Chaired the Chicago JACL's Redress Committee.

en
ja
es
pt
Roberto Hirose
en
ja
es
pt
Hirose,Roberto

From the "middle" Nikkei (Spanish)

(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman

en
ja
es
pt
Roberto Hirose
en
ja
es
pt
Hirose,Roberto

Advantages of being Nikkei (Spanish)

(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman

en
ja
es
pt
George Yoshida
en
ja
es
pt
Yoshida,George

We’re Still Japanese

(b. 1922) Musician

en
ja
es
pt
William Marutani
en
ja
es
pt
Marutani,William

Childhood shame for being Nikkei in Enumclaw, Washington

Judge, only Japanese American to serve on CWRIC.

en
ja
es
pt
Kathryn Doi Todd
en
ja
es
pt
Todd,Kathryn Doi

On the Impact of the Camp Experience

(b. 1942) The first Asian American woman judge

en
ja
es
pt