A member of the K-Pop Boy Jone B band came out publicly as gay during a concert this week in Los Angeles. It is a rare movement in a high -pressure Korean music industry, in which artists tend to be fiercely protected by their private lives.
Just B-Member Bain, 23, made the announcement while doing only one in the show of the band on Tuesday, saying: “I am proud to be part of the LGBTQ+community, as a gay person.” The videos shared on social networks showed the crowd responding with strong cheers.
“For anyone who is part of the LGBTQ+community, or who still solves it, this is for you. You are seen, you are loved and you were born in this way,” he added, in a reference to Lady Gaga’s song whom he called “my queen.”
Then he released a presentation of the song while stirring a flag of Rainbow Pride.
Public identification as gay is rare among the active K-Pop stars, whose behavior is closely controlled by music labels and surveillance by fans who expect them to have healthy images. According to the Outlet of Media Korean News1, Bain is the first male K-Pop star to exit publicly.
After Tuesday’s performance, Bain’s bandmate, Siwoo, left a support message on a fan platform, South Korea media reported.
“I was looking behind the stage and I also cried,” he said. “I cried even more because I knew how difficult it was for him.”
Fans have also shown their support, with one of the most popular comments in the Bain Instagram publication that says: “I am very proud of you, Kiddo. Always love you because we love you!”
Only B, a group of six members, has launched five EPS and several singles since its debut in 2021.
Before Bain, Jiae of the now missing group of girls Wassup said in 2020 that he was bisexual, while Lara, an Indian-American member of the Katseye girls group, based in the United States, came out as queer last month on a fan platform.
Homosexuality is a sensitive issue in South socially conservative, where same -sex marriage is not legally recognized. Discrimination against LGBTQ people “remains generalized,” said Human Rights Watch in a 2023 report.
