92-year-old homosexual man confesses, "I've been living alone all my life"
(T/n I skipped some parts that was a bit extra information as this article was so long)
"I was afraid of discrimination, so I couldn't tell the people around me, and I've been living by myself, not getting involved with others. I've been lonely for a long time. Tadashi Hase, 92, a poet living in Nishinari Ward, Osaka City, told people around him that he was gay for the first time in August 2018, just before he turned 90 years old. "I hope that we can take even one step toward a world without discrimination, where everyone can live easily.
▽ Homosexuality is a disease
He was born in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, in 1929, to a father who was a doctor and a mother who was an apprentice nurse. The father had a legitimate wife and had what is called an illegitimate child. As far as I can remember, I met my father only a few times.
When he was in the early grades of elementary school, he fell in love with a male teacher. At that time, he began to feel that he was homosexual, thinking that he might like men unlike other boys, but at that time homosexuality was treated as a disease ,and even after a while he became convinced that he was homosexual, but he couldn't tell his family about his feelings and kept them to himself.
(He went away for awhile)
Finally, he was able to board a ship and returned to Kagawa Prefecture in September 1946. Since then, he has been engaged in various manual labor jobs, such as warehouse work and carrying ice in factories. He was unsure of himself as a homosexual and was afraid that people would find out about it. He avoided elaborate conversations with his workmates as much as possible and had no friends he could trust, let alone a lover.
▽ Poems and novels that healed his loneliness.
It was only in literature that I could proudly declare, "I am a homosexual." At work or in the small room where he lived lived alone, he kept thinking about the poems in his head, which he had always loved since elementary school.
However, these activities and confessions were possible because they were done under a pen name. In the real world, he felt like he was living in a shell, and that his presence would cause trouble for his brothers and sisters who were living normally. At some point he grew apart from his family.
▽ He came out naturally
A turning point in his life came when he turned 89 years old, on a hot summer day in August 2006, he saw a performance by a volunteer group called "Kamishibai Geki Musubi" in Nishinari Ward, Osaka City, where he was living at the time.
Musubi was established with the aim of "connecting people with people," and the elderly people who live alone for various reasons help each other out in their daily activities. Not only do they entertain the audience, but the performers also find fulfillment in their lives through these activities
To Hase's eyes, the nearly 80-year-olds seemed to be really enjoying themselves as they played their roles through a process of learning by trial and error, and he decided that he would like to participate in this project. He felt that he could accept himself as he really was.
"I'm gay, can I participate?" After the eveny was over, he asked to join the event on the spot. He didn't realize that this was his coming out until a member of the group pointed it out to him later.
Musubi's performances include well-known folktales such as Momotaro as well as original works. Especially when he plays the role of a princess, he realizes that he is not like a man, but a woman. After all, that is the kind of role he like and is good at.
The activities of the group consisted of weekly gatherings to come up with stories, draw pictures for the picture-story shows, and make props. As these activities became a larger part of his life, he moved to Nishinari Ward, I think it is the final move of his life
▽ First friend.
Through his activities, he made friends and colleagues for the first time in his life, and at the age of 90, he has come to enjoy life by living without hiding his true self. From the suggestion of a young man, he tried cross-dressing, something he had always wanted to do. He thought, "Makeup is so annoying. I don't want to do it every day,", but it was a wonderful experience. He also met people he liked. Whenever I think of them, my heart flutters.
There is one phrase that Hase has been told many times in his life, and each time he has been told it, he has stored up an undescribable feeling of disgust. It was, "Aren't you getting married?
He feel that society has become more tolerant of LGBT people and is creating a more comfortable environment than in the past. However, he also hear criticisms such as, "You can't have a child with someone of the same sex. He feel that discrimination and prejudice still persist. At times like this, he feels angry, saying, "I don't want to deny myself a sexuality that I cannot choose, and I don't want anyone to say to me, 'You're not good enough"
Hase is still writing his diary every day. His goal for the future is to write a work about the sexuality of homosexual old men. He hopes to write a work that will encourage public opinion so that LGBT people will be understood and the world will become a better place to live.
Original post: Yahoo! Japan News
[+28,226, -2,742] I am sure there are many elderly people who have had this experience. I'm glad that at 90, he can finally live as himself.
I hope that discrimination and prejudice will disappear and our society will change so that we can live as we are. The lawmakers who are not afraid to make discriminatory and prejudiced remarks should learn more about these suffering people.
[+12,506, -1,442] I think this person is in the midst of his youth, and I think he is experiencing the beauty of life. I just want to say that I'm happy for him. This story moved me even though I've been a little hard on sexual minorities. Perhaps it's a better time.
[+10,556, -1,234] What he tells is the truth. The reason why gay people today are free from meanness and loneliness is because of the Internet. Because we can obtain and exchange information anonymously. If it weren't for the Internet, if it weren't for the people and events that inspired me, I wouldn't have known anyone and I would have had no choice but to keep the fact that I was gay hidden. When I came out to my parents, they told me it was a temporary illness. I was shocked. I am still grateful to my parents, but I regret coming out to them. I don't think the current times are good. But I can only imagine how lonely this person must have been.
[+5,994, -293] I'm glad he's starting to enjoy life
[+4,132, -273] Homosexuality is something that's been around since ancient times. It is no wonder that there are those who are 92 years old. I think that there have been a certain number of people since the birth of mankind.
There must have been times when people didn't care about them, and times when they were not treated as human beings. I guess things have gotten better now, but it must have been hard for him when he was young.
[+3,178, -260] I would like to thank you for letting me hear this. I am so glad that the world has changed so that we can have some kind of hope in our lives.
After all, there is one life, and everyone is different. I was reminded once again that there's nothing we can say to others about the way others look at us or what they say and do.