Washington Spirit forward Kumi Yokoyama came out as transgender in a video interview on former Japan teammate Yu016bki Nagasato's YouTube channel.
Yokoyama, who the Washington Spirit confirmed uses they/them pronouns, becomes one of the highest-profile names in Japanese sports to come out as transgender, saying living in the United States and Germany played a major factor in going public.
“I’ve dated several women over the years but I had to stay closeted in Japan,” Yokoyama said in the interview, which was translated by The Japan Times. “In Japan I’d always be asked if I had a boyfriend, but [in the United States] I’m asked if I have a boyfriend or girlfriend.