Something special just happened

It's a good time to be a queer kpop fan

I absolutely wasn’t planning on posting this. I’m struggling with writing recently, and there are about ten unfinished pieces in my drafts that need my attention. But oh my god, we’ve lived to see something truly special. It’s the day I’ve been waiting for since I became a kpop fan almost ten years ago.

I can finally write down this sentence, which I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to: there is an openly gay idol in a currently active boy group. Bain of the group JUST B just came out a few days ago during their LA concert and said: “I’m fucking proud to be part of the LGBTQ community”.

Bain of JUST B. Source: JUST B Wiki

Since some cishet fans have a tendency to bury their heads in the sand and find a straight explanation even for the glaringly obvious, I have to mention that he later doubled down in an Instagram post where he once again stated: “I’m proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community—as a gay person”. (Just a side note, but bonus points to Bain for using the full name of our community and not excluding anyone!!)

As a gay person

When I saw this, I had to go to the office bathroom and lock myself in the stall for a good ten minutes just to process. I even cried, and I don’t cry easily. It doesn’t even matter whether you know Bain or his group or not, this is a day of celebration for all queer kpop fans all over the world. Our day has finally come.

Loving kpop as a queer person is very rewarding and challenging at the same time.

Challenging because of the fans who fight us whenever we try to say something in a song or performance is queer-coded or when we recognize queer behaviors in idols. Even if it's idiotic, it hurts when someone flings at you, "Korea is very homophobic, so they can't be gay". As if we only popped up in accepting places. As someone who lives in a country that just banned Pride, I wish that were true, but it isn't.

And it's rewarding, because we KNOW queer idols are out there, signaling to us in quiet, unassuming ways so that we know we're not alone. They must be suffering, just like we are. I seriously hope they can also draw strength from Bain’s incredible act of courage.

Recently, a member of the girl group KATSEYE, Lara, also came out as bisexual, but that event didn’t get much response. Probably because the members of the group are non-Korean and they cater to an international audience, so it wasn’t a big deal. The most surprising thing about that was HYBE letting her do it because they’re notoriously weird about queer stuff, even though they’re among the few companies who actually have the money and influence to be able to support an idol through coming out. I was happy about it, but I desperately needed a fully Korean member to do it because I believed that move would have a better chance of propelling change.

Now that it’s happened, it filled me with hope I haven't felt in a long time. Maybe that's naive, but I don't care. In the current global landscape, an idol taking a stand like this is everything. It's brave, and it gives courage to hundreds of thousands who look up to him. The original purpose of idols, even beyond entertainment, is to become people that fans can look up to. It makes sense that us queer kpop stans also want to have our icons—the ones who represent us and show that it is possible to be queer and unapologetic about it, even when (or especially when) you operate in a hostile environment.

I hope this is the beginning of something. Because Bain is from a group that isn’t well-known, it hasn’t made much more than quiet ripples yet, but I do pray those become waves. Other idols and companies will see this, and they might start to think that maybe it isn’t that impossible to come out.

I did like JUST B when they debuted because the group had some contestants from I-LAND, but I somehow drifted away over the years. Now I’m definitely going to stan, check out all the albums I missed, and I finally have the motivation to watch Kingdom: Ace of Ace too because I want to see more of Bain. I heard his members really supported him in coming out, so that just makes me want to give them some love. Stan a group that deserves it.

Lastly, here is their latest comeback, in case anyone wants to give them some extra support: