Ayaka Ichinose is an "L" Girl too!

＜English＞

Translated by faiyaque

Have you heard the news? Only just recently the gravure idol Ayaka Ichinose came out publicly as a lesbian!

Seeing as a growing number of American actresses and celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, Cynthia Nixon (known for her role as Miranda on Sex and the City), and Kelly McGillis of "Top Gun" fame are going public with their sexuality and committed same-sex relationships, we all figured that Japan's turn would soon come. And apparently now it has!

I recently received an email from a TW reader letting me know that Ichinose had written about TokyoWrestling on her blog (in Japanese), so I thought I'd share here. I was excited to see that she had read my interview on NHK's LGBT website "Niji-Iro"!

【Translated excerpt from Ichinose's blog】

I first heard of TokyoWrestling’s chief editor Yuki Keiser when reading a column by her on NHK's "Niji-Iro" site. I really identified with what she said. I learned that, in her, I have a "sempai" -- someone like me -- who thinks in optimistic terms and stands for "providing information that is presented in an absolutely positive manner", which was very encouraging!

Thank you!! The points mentioned are things that I always remain conscious of when doing media work, since here in Japan LGBT information is often presented from a negative angle. It makes me very happy to hear that the positivity resonates with people.

In addition to Ichinose, we are seeing a growing number of forward-looking lesbians in Japan ("Honey & Honey" author Sachiko Takeuchi is another one that comes to mind) and so I'm inspired by the hope that our numbers will continue to grow! Here’s to warmly supporting and cheering each other on!

★Ayaka Ichinose has also written "Real 'Bian", a manga based on her real-life experiences as a lesbian. Anyone interested should definitely check it out! It's wonderful to see such an inspiring "L" girl become a part of the LGBT movement in Japan!

★For my interview on the Niji-Iro website, follow the link here (Japanese).