The Sydney Mardi Gras event will come to a close this Sunday, with a curbside tradition, Laneway held in Sydney's Surry Hills.
Performing at this event will be DJ Shigeki, who has been DJing at the Mardi Gras events for almost 2 decades.
Shigeki arrived in Australia in 1999, and began his DJ career at Oxford Street, Sydney. It wasn't long before Shigeki became a regular face of the Sydney's Mardi Gras, performing at the event since 2003.
When Shigeki saw the Mardi Gras for the first time, he was "shocked" to be surrounded by "people like me" and remembers feeling a "sense of relief".
DJ Shigeki at the 2010 Mardi Gras Event, Carnival Source: Peter Hoyle
Shigeki began to realize that he was "different from other children" since primary school.
"I got along with girls more" Shigeki tells SBS Japanese.
Growing up, he was often called "gay" or "you're like a girl" from his peers.
"Back then, I thought I was the only one with such feelings. I thought I was wrong"
"There were no gay characters on TV or in movies like there are now, so there was no one to relate to, no one to look up to as a role model"
It was not until Shigeki was in in his 20s, that he was able to speak up about his sexuality.
"I even tried to fall in love with a girl"
Shigeki says, lying to cover up a lie, became almost "like a game" and he often struggled whether to continue living with his true self concealed.
Although Shigeki's mother had some suspicions, she was nevertheless shocked when Shigeki finally came out.
"When I saw my mother distressed, saying she had brought me up wrong, or I needed treatment, I felt like I had failed her, that I shouldn't have said anything"
He left his home country the following year, for a fresh start. Here, he fell in love with the music world.
"In Japan, I lived worrying about what others thought about me. But after coming to Australia, I was able to put myself first" says Shigeki.
"To be able to DJ for a community who have accepted me for who I am, it was like a dream"
2 decades after coming out, and almost 2 decades of DJing at the Sydney's Mardi Gras, Shigeki finally married his American partner in Hawaii.
Shigeki married his partner, in Hawaii, where same-sex marriage is legalized. He was welcomed by both sides of the family. Source: DJ Shigeki
Celebrating with them, were Shigeki's parents as well.
"When my father said in his speech, that he was relieved to to see me finally finding a wonderful man, I was filled with emotion"
"It must have been a difficult road for them"
DJ Shigeki will be performing at the Mardi Gras Laneway event on March 6.
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