Kumi Yokoyama openly declares herself as a transgender player

The Japanese soccer player of Washington Spirit, Kumi Yokohama, openly declared himself a transgender man, during an interview on the channel of his compatriot, Yuki Nakasato, this within the framework of Pride month. The 28-year-old player plays for the team of the NWSL decided to make his story publicAfter going through football in Germany and the United States, something that made him reflect on the almost null recognition of the rights of LGBT + people in his country of origin.

The player of the American capital team stated during the interview that he had to hide his situation for several years, in addition to adding that he has already undergone an operation and hopes to have more interventions, once he leaves professional football.

“I have dated several women over the years, but I had to stay locked up in Japan. In Japan they always ask me if I have a boyfriend, but here they ask me if I have a boyfriend or girlfriend. When my girlfriend said there was no reason for me to stay locked up, it really hit me. Coming out of the closet was not something that I was excited about, but if I think about my life in the future, it would be more difficult to live locked up, so I found the courage to come out, ”Yokoyama declared.

Kumi Yokoyama, 27, went through the clubs of Jumunji HS, Okayama Yunogo and AC Nagano in his country, to later play with Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany and finally sign with Washington Spirit in the year of 2019, same in which he played the Women’s World Cup in France, in which the Japan team remained in the round of 16.

The Japanese, who recently openly declared himself a transgender man, spoke about the situation in his country, where LGBT + rights are just beginning to be accepted, something that forced him to hide his situation.

“Recently, the term LGBTQ has become mainstream in Japan, and appears already in the media. But I have thought that if people like me do not express themselves, things will not move forward. At first, I hid with my companions, but they told me that it was not the best to shut up, and that I was not obliged, “she commented.

Yokoyama’s announcement was unveiled precisely, after Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out openly gay, throughout the history of the NFL.