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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/26/world/asia/japan-gay-j-pop-shinjiro-atae.html>
"At first, there was total silence. Then, there were shrieks, wild applause,
weeping and shouts of “I love you!”
Fans of Shinjiro Atae, a J-pop idol who has been on a nearly two-year
performance hiatus, had come to hear him talk about “the challenge of my life.”
Standing onstage in a dark auditorium in front of 2,000 fans in central Tokyo
on Wednesday night, he revealed something he has kept hidden for most of his
life: He is gay.
“I respect you and believe you deserve to hear this directly from me,” he said,
reading from a letter he had prepared. “For years, I struggled to accept a part
of myself. But now, after all I have been through, I finally have the courage
to open up to you about something. I am a gay man.”
Such an announcement is extremely unusual in conservative Japan, the only G7
country that has not legalized same-sex unions. Earlier this summer, the
Japanese Parliament passed an L.G.B.T.Q rights bill but it had been watered
down by the political right, stating that there “should be no unfair
discrimination” against gay and transgender people.
In making a public declaration, the 34-year-old Mr. Atae, who spent two decades
performing with AAA, a hit Japanese pop group, before embarking on a solo
career, said he wanted his fans to know his true self. He also hopes to comfort
those who might be grappling with anxieties about their sexuality.
“I don’t want people to struggle like me,” he said."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
