Japanese volleyball player Reon Arao, who plays for Voreas Hokkaido in Japan’s men’s SV.LEAGUE, has come out publicly as LGBTQ+.

The 25-year-old athlete made the announcement on on Tuesday (29 September), writing: “If I had to choose a label from LGBTQ+, I feel that my sexuality is closest to ‘Q (Questioning).’”

Arao began his statement by explaining that he wanted to share “something” with his followers that marked a “major step forward” in his life.

Reon Arao speaks about his childhood

The volleyball player reflected on his childhood, explaining that he had grown up spending time with friends regardless of their gender.

“There were also times when I would join groups made up entirely of girls and play together with them,” he wrote.

“Growing up in that kind of environment, feelings such as ‘cute’, ‘cool’, and ‘beautiful’ gradually became important to me.

Arao on discovering his identity

“And those feelings were not simply an admiration of ‘I want to be like that someday’. Before I knew it, they had also become connected to feelings of ‘liking’ someone,” Arao continued.

“I am simply me,” he wrote. “That is how I have chosen to live.”

He says he feels “uncomfortable with phrases like ‘because you’re a man’”

Arao said he feels “uncomfortable with phrases like ‘because you’re a man’ or ‘because you’re a woman’”, adding that he often chooses women’s clothing.

“While I feel more at ease when I am around women, I also enjoy spending time with men,” he wrote.

The professional volleyball player also spoke about the difficulties he experienced while trying to understand his sexuality.

“The phrase ‘coming out’ felt heavy to me” – Arao on coming out

“Even the phrase ‘coming out’ felt heavy to me, like a thick, imposing wall,” he wrote.

Arao credited fellow Japanese professional volleyball player with giving him the courage to share his own story. Takahashi had also spoken publicly about his sexuality in a candid social media statement shortly before Arao.

“I was encouraged by the courage of Rui Takahashi, who is also competing at the highest level in the same sport, and I decided to share this with you in my own words,” Arao wrote.

An inspiration for others

He expressed his gratitude to his team, family and friends for listening to him and accepting him for who he is.

“I hope that my words and actions can, even in some small way, become a source of encouragement or a starting point for someone else,” he wrote.

Arao concluded by saying that he would continue to value himself while giving everything he has to the sport he loves.

“As a professional volleyball player, I will continue to devote myself wholeheartedly to volleyball,” he said.