On Tuesday, Japanese volleyball player Rui Takahashi became the first professional in Japan’s top league to come out as gay (TheColu.mn reported). A few hours later, 25-year-old Reon Arao of the top-division club Voreas Hokkaido followed suit. He announced his truth in a detailed, personal statement on Instagram. In it, he explained that since childhood he had spent time with a wide array of friends — “completely regardless of gender.” He added: “That’s why I never set rigid boundaries about my own gender identity or the gender of the people I love, and I have lived by the principle: ‘I am simply me.’”
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Arao explained further that he did not want to commit to a single identity: “If I had to pick a label from LGBTQ+, I feel my sexuality comes closest to the ‘Q,’” he wrote. The “Q” in this case does not stand for queer but for questioning — the state of doubting, exploring, and not settling. He did not want to bow to a rigid mold. “Phrases like ‘Because you’re a man’ or ‘Because you’re a woman’ make me uncomfortable, and when it comes to clothing I often reach for women’s fashion,” the 25-year-old continued. “On the one hand, I feel more carefree in the presence of women, but I also enjoy spending time with men.” Because of these many different feelings, he admitted he could be “confused” at times.
Coming out thanks to Rui Takahashi
Arao further explained that he wrestled with the term “coming out,” because it felt like a thick wall. His decision to come out now was inspired by his colleague: “The courage of Rui Takahashi, who is at the front line in the same sport, gave me the backing to take this step in my own words as well.”
In the post, he also thanked the people in charge of his team, as well as friends and family, “who have accompanied me on my journey and have always simply seen me as a person — as Reon Arao.” He hopes his decision will encourage someone out there to be open as well.
Openly queer athletes remain a rarity in Japanese sports. Soccer player Shiho Shimoyamada came out publicly in 2019 (TheColu.mn reported). Kumi Yokoyama, a member of the women’s national soccer team, came out as a transgender man in 2021 (TheColu.mn reported).
The best-known openly queer volleyball player in Germany is American Erik Shoji, who came out last year (TheColu.mn reported). The 37-year-old has recently resumed playing for the German champions BR Volleys in Berlin (TheColu.mn reported).
