Kumi Yokoyama’s Story: How the Soccer Star Found the Courage To Come Out

Representation in sports matters just as ever now, and now that Kumi Yokoyama has come out as transgender, more people will now be able to see themselves in the NWSL. With their announcement, Yokoyama made history, becoming just the second transgender player in the league, Quinn of OL Reign being the first.

On The Field

Yokoyama became a star at a young age; at the U-17 World Cup in 2010 their goal earned them a Puskás nomination. (You’ve got to see it.) As far as the senior team, they have made 42 appearances and scored 17 goals for Japan. 

They’ve been playing since 2012 on the club level. Yokoyama spent two years with the Okayama Yunogo Belle in Japan, scoring three goals in 31 appearances. After spending time there, they moved onto another Japanese club, AC Nagano Parceiro. They spent five years there, scoring a whopping 99 goals in 144 appearances.  

Yokoyama also spent time in Germany playing for FFC Frankfurt during the 2017-18 season. 

The Washington Spirit signed Yokoyama in December of 2019. The forward started in all four games they played in during the 2020 Challenge Cup. The 2020 Fall Series was a similar story, with Yokoyama starting four games and scoring one goal. The goal was the game-winner against Sky Blue and a beautifully taken kick from outside of the box into the side netting. In 2021, they have played in seven games; five of those were starts. 

Being Themselves

On June 19, Kumi Yokoyama came out as transgender in a Youtube video on former teammate Yuki Nagasato’s channel. They are the first high-profile Japanese athlete to come out. Yokoyama’s pronouns are they/them. 

Yokoyama’s coming out is a big step forward and something that they said they would not have done if they were in their home country of Japan. In Japan, the country isn’t accepting of the LGBTQ+ community. Being in the United States has allowed Yokoyama to be their true self. 

In the video, Yokoyama said, “If I think about my life going forward, it would be harder to live closeted, so I found the courage to come out.”

They gave credit to OL Reign’s Quinn who was the first NWSL player to come out as transgender, for beginning the conversation and helping advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. 

Yokoyama can be a role model to those in Japan and the United States that are struggling to come out, something that the LGBTQ+ community needs. They were brave by coming out, and by doing so, they are helping many young people see that they don’t have to be afraid to live openly as themselves. 

Featured Image via Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images

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