Trans football star Kumi Yokoyama discusses coming out journey: “I’m glad I did it”
Trans football star Kumi Yokoyama has opened up about their coming out journey in a new interview.
Earlier this year, the US-based footballer – who goes by they/them pronouns – made headlines after they came out as a trans man.
“In the future, I want to quit soccer and live as a man,” the 27-year-old revealed on YouTube.
Yokoyama’s monumental announcement was immediately embraced by the sports community and political figures like President Joe Biden.
Taking to Twitter, the 46th president praised the young athlete and NFL player Carl Nassib for their “courage.”
“Because of you, countless kids around the world are seeing themselves in a new light today,” he wrote.
Six months later, Yokoyama has now opened up about their coming out journey in a new interview with The Japan Times.
When asked about the public’s positive reception, the young athlete said it was ”beyond” their expectations.
“I should say, it’s not that I expected a reaction; it’s that I didn’t think it would become as big as it did,” they said.
Yokoyama went on to say that Biden’s tweet helped elevate the importance of LGBTQ+ issues within Japan.
“I think that a lot of Japanese people became more aware of LGBTQ issues because of what Biden tweeted,” they explained. “It did make me feel like Japan is lagging behind the rest of the world … but I’m happy to see Japanese society make progress, however that happens.
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Author: Jordan Robledo