Gay k pop

"They thanked me and I thought to myself 'I should have done this sooner'."

K-Pop’s Queer Revolution: Celebrating LGBTQ+ Idols This Pride Month

In an industry built on polished perfection, any break from the mould feels radical, especially when it comes to queerness.

K-pop, with its dazzling aesthetics and global reach, has long been shaped by strict ideas of gender and sexuality.

For nonbinary, gender-diverse, and trans fans, these moments challenge gendered expectations, disrupt heteronormativity, and create space for imagining a more inclusive future in K-pop and beyond.

This post celebrates those idols — and what their visibility means for all of us who live and love beyond the binary.

Breaking the Silence: Coming Out in K-Pop

Coming out in K-pop isn’t just personal: it’s political.

In South Korea, where public attitudes toward LGBTQ+ identities remain conservative, being openly queer as an idol can still risk your career, safety, and public standing.

His music and visuals challenged traditional gender norms from the start, featuring a soft masculinity, emotional vulnerability, and unapologetic queer love.

JIAE

Jiae, formerly of WASSUP, came out as bisexual in 2020 and later released her solo album, Love Is Love, independently.

Unfortunately, the group received little attention beyond their debut, and released their final single together in 2024 before disbanding, but the few fans they cultivated during their year together had nothing but love and appreciation for what the group represented.

#5: Jiae (soloist, former member of WA$$UP)

Kim Jiae, professionally known as Jiae, first debuted as a member of the girl group WA$$UP in 2013.

Grounded in care, clarity, and community, their role is to hold the connective tissue between story and structure—making sure each published piece resonates with purpose.

"It's a slow process but we're seeing more public figures speaking up or content being created around these LGBTQ issues."

But any immediate change in K-pop or the entertainment industry is unlikely, according to him.

They’re confronting a system that’s long upheld rigid binaries: male vs.

But through it all, the years of hiding a part of himself took a toll on Bain.

"I was so overwhelmed, I thought maybe I can't be an idol at all.

But the energy is shifting. After Lara came out, Hybe chose not to put out a statement on the matter, describing it as a personal issue related to the artist. Her story reflects the difficulty of staying visible and self-affirming when queer identities don’t “sell” in the mainstream and how many LGBTQ+ idols are still pushed to the margins.

BAIN

Bain of JUST B became the first active idol in a boy group to come out as gay.

They hint at something bigger: the possibility of a future where idols aren’t just allowed to love freely, but to exist freely across the gender spectrum.

We haven’t yet seen an openly nonbinary K-pop idol. It’s about liberation.

Global Pop Culture Meets Queer Identity

K-pop is a global cultural force.

'I thought I could just pretend'

Bain, whose real name is Song Byeonghee, says he was in secondary school, about 12 years old, when he realised he was gay.

Shortly afterwards, he decided to become a K-pop trainee but he kept his sexuality a secret - he felt like being gay was "not allowed".

"It wasn't something I questioned… I just thought I had no choice," he says.

Admitting to even a heterosexual relationship is scandalous. This kind of a seemingly neutral stance from the biggest K-Pop company right now is a very good sign, but it should also be acknowledged that KATSEYE have the privilege of the “global girl group” status, and aren’t heavily dependent on the support of Korean fans.

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He was the first Korean celebrity to open up about his sexuality - and it came at a cost.
In an oversized fur coat and black sunglasses, the 24-year-old K-pop star told thousands of fans: "Before I start the next song - I want to share something with you guys."
A brief pause and then: "I'm [expletive] proud to be part of the LGBTQ community!"
The crowd erupted in applause and screams as Bain broke into Lady Gaga's pride anthem: "Just put your paws up, 'Cause you were born this way, baby".

But there are always more areas of inclusion that any industry can open up to, and for K-pop, one of those would be the LGBTQ community.