In Japan, a J-Pop star has come out as gay and his fans cheer

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/27/ [login to see] /in-japan-a-j-pop-star-has-come-out-as-gay-and-his-fans-cheer
Japanese pop idol Shinjiro Atae has come out as gay in a public announcement that is unusual in conservative Japan, where same-sex unions are not legal.

Speaking Wednesday evening to a crowd of about 2,000 of his fans in an auditorium in central Tokyo, Atae revealed he is gay.

"I respect you and believe you deserve to hear this directly from me," said the 34-year-old Atae. "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."

"I don't want people to struggle like me," he continued.

No entertainer of a stature and popularity have out as queer in Japan and after his announcement, fans applauded, reports LGBTQ Nation.

"I am 200% supportive," Atae's mother told the press after her son's very public disclosure, the outlet reports.