Kenji Yoshino

And the thing that was challenging about this was that, again, my parents were the very first people that I had told that I was gay. But this was something different. You know, this was being in the New York Times and being advertised as an openly gay person to the world. And so from their perspective, it was just a different level of publicity.

And the thing that was challenging about this was that, again, my parents were the very first people that I had told that I was gay. But this was something different. You know, this was being in the New York Times and being advertised as an openly gay person to the world. And so from their perspective, it was just a different level of publicity.

And the thing that was challenging about this was that, again, my parents were the very first people that I had told that I was gay. But this was something different. You know, this was being in the New York Times and being advertised as an openly gay person to the world. And so from their perspective, it was just a different level of publicity.

And so they were essentially saying, it's fine for you to be out of the closet, but please don't draw this level of activism and advocacy to this role. So essentially, please downplay or cover.

And so they were essentially saying, it's fine for you to be out of the closet, but please don't draw this level of activism and advocacy to this role. So essentially, please downplay or cover.

And so they were essentially saying, it's fine for you to be out of the closet, but please don't draw this level of activism and advocacy to this role. So essentially, please downplay or cover.

And the most poignant thing that my mother said to me was, you know, if this is published, then I won't be able to go home, meaning go home to Japan, because gay rights was in a much different place in Japan than it was, you know, in the United States.

And the most poignant thing that my mother said to me was, you know, if this is published, then I won't be able to go home, meaning go home to Japan, because gay rights was in a much different place in Japan than it was, you know, in the United States.

And the most poignant thing that my mother said to me was, you know, if this is published, then I won't be able to go home, meaning go home to Japan, because gay rights was in a much different place in Japan than it was, you know, in the United States.

This is a term that I believe would be unfamiliar to many Japanese people as well because it was transliteration. So she said, we understand that you're gay, but why do you have to be a Shondaku? And I was like, what? What is that? And she said, you know, the woman who heard voices. And I was like, what on earth are you talking about?

This is a term that I believe would be unfamiliar to many Japanese people as well because it was transliteration. So she said, we understand that you're gay, but why do you have to be a Shondaku? And I was like, what? What is that? And she said, you know, the woman who heard voices. And I was like, what on earth are you talking about?

This is a term that I believe would be unfamiliar to many Japanese people as well because it was transliteration. So she said, we understand that you're gay, but why do you have to be a Shondaku? And I was like, what? What is that? And she said, you know, the woman who heard voices. And I was like, what on earth are you talking about?

Until the kind of penny dropped and I realized that she was talking about Joan of Arc and the transliteration of Joan of Arc as Shondaku.

Until the kind of penny dropped and I realized that she was talking about Joan of Arc and the transliteration of Joan of Arc as Shondaku.

Until the kind of penny dropped and I realized that she was talking about Joan of Arc and the transliteration of Joan of Arc as Shondaku.

So essentially what she was saying is, it's fine for you to be gay, but why do you need to be a banner carrier for this identity? Why do you need to be an advocate or an activist? With perhaps the implication of, and we all know what happened to Joan of Arc in the end, so this doesn't land well for anybody.

So essentially what she was saying is, it's fine for you to be gay, but why do you need to be a banner carrier for this identity? Why do you need to be an advocate or an activist? With perhaps the implication of, and we all know what happened to Joan of Arc in the end, so this doesn't land well for anybody.

So essentially what she was saying is, it's fine for you to be gay, but why do you need to be a banner carrier for this identity? Why do you need to be an advocate or an activist? With perhaps the implication of, and we all know what happened to Joan of Arc in the end, so this doesn't land well for anybody.

Exactly. And it was a version of the, it's fine for you to be a homosexual professional, but don't be a professional homosexual. Don't make this your cause.

Exactly. And it was a version of the, it's fine for you to be a homosexual professional, but don't be a professional homosexual. Don't make this your cause.