I recently got involved in a conversation about whether I thought it was a good idea for a gay gaijin to come out in Japan. This is a biggie.
My short answer was “no.” My longer is much more complicated. I’m straight. I don’t know what it’s like to be gay, in the US or elsewhere. In Japan, I’m a gaijin. In a country that “glorifies” gays through such people as Hard Gay, I can hardly see the pros of coming out as a gay gaijin in Japan. There’s simply too much to lose.
This is Hard Gay. I’ve been told he’s anything but gay. A former wrestler, he found a gimmick and used it to ride his way to fame. He married a swimsuit model, or so the story goes (as reported online). He’s sometimes referred to as “faux gay” I hear. This is one example, one major example of how “gays” are portrayed in the Japanese media. Other notable individuals with unclear sexual orientation include various celebrities (e.g. men in make up, extremely effeminate men using feminine forms of speech, gestures and mannerisms, etc.)
While homosexuality has deep roots in Japanese history, I can honestly say I know of no openly gay man or lesbian among my Japanese friends and colleagues. There’s still a stigma. Do a google search under “gay in Japan” and it doesn’t take much scrolling of the images to see how the drawings and pictures go from bad to worse, hitting porn not too far down at all. It’s just not done. Gay isn’t okay in Japan.
This isn’t to say there isn’t a community of gay and lesbian activists who are trying to change the perception of homosexuality and the rights of homosexuals. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say the road they need to pave for themselves is significantly more complex and difficult than those with similar struggles in the US. Mind you, I’m straight so there’s an argument to be made–I simply don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. How does any straight person know how hard it is to be gay or lesbian? How can any gaijin understand how difficult it must be to be gay or lesbian in Japan? Point taken. I do stand by what I said about coming out in Japan. Personally, I wouldn’t. It seems like the struggles for a gay or lesbian gaijin in Japan would be entirely different than being gay or lesbian in the States. There’s a double-stigma, per se.
This is purely my opinion. You could argue I really shouldn’t have a say in this. There’s certainly truth to that. The choice is yours. Obviously. When I see pictures like the one above of Hard Gay and read articles associated with this one below of (what seems) a small group of individuals fighting for their rights, I’m just not at all convinced there’s any room for gay gaijins in Japan. I hope I’m wrong. I wish you well. 
GAIJIN! 