Last month, Japanese idol Shinjiro Atae (與真司郎) made the bold move to publicly announce his coming out of the closet to a crowd of over 2000 people in a concert hall in Shibuya. Since the personal announcement, the singer has received overwhelming support from fans and the public.
In a recent interview, Shinjiro spoke more candidly about the announcement, how he felt, and the reactions of those closest to him. The singer said that despite the event being the first time he publicly announced his queerness, he had already revealed his sexuality to his mother over two years ago and to a close friend five years ago.
Shinjiro added that he had always known he was gay but had little understanding of his sexuality. In addition, the idol said that gay men were often mocked on television when he was growing up, causing him to be ashamed of his identity.
The Japanese artist debuted in 2005 as a 16-year-old vocalist for the mixed J-pop group AAA. The group is currently on hiatus and consists of members Shinjiro, Takahiro Nishijima (西島隆弘), Misaki Uno (宇野実彩子), Mitsuhiro Hidaka (日高光啓) and Shuta Sueyoshi (末吉秀太). In the interview, he also spoke about the reactions of his group mates, who were also present at the announcement event.
He shared that they have been very supportive of him, even regularly contacting him from Japan while he was in Los Angeles. He added that his mother even flew to LA to be by his side after his coming out. As for future plans, the 34-year-old did not reveal much but did reveal that he has been working with the president of Pride House Tokyo, Gon Matsunaka (松中権).
The singer also recently dropped a new single, “Into The Light”, and announced his comeback to the music industry. Shinjiro also said that he will continue learning more about the LGBTQ+ community in order to provide more support to those who share the same struggles as him.
We’re happy that Shinjiro has been receiving tons of support from his loved ones and fans, and we can’t wait to see what he has planned for the future.
Source: Teen Vogue
Adleena contributed to this article.
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