Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
JUST B's Bain comes out during world tour in LA
Bain of K-pop boy group JUST B waves a rainbow flag while performing Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" after coming out as gay during the group's world tour in Los Angeles at the Vermont Hollywood, Tuesday, local time. Captured from Elle's Kpop Channel's YouTube
By Lee Hae-rin
Bain, a member of the K-pop boy group JUST B, revealed his LGBTQ identity during the group’s world tour stop in Los Angeles on Tuesday, local time, marking a groundbreaking moment as the first K-pop boy band member to do so.
"I am proud to be a part of the LGBTQ community," he said during a solo performance on the band's ongoing "Just Odd" tour at the Vermont Hollywood, and went on to say, "As a gay person." The statement was greeted with loud cheers from the audience.
LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning.
After the statement, he performed Lady Gaga's famed self-validating anthem "Born This Way," waving a rainbow flag.
The K-pop industry has long had a "no dating" culture, as it generates profits through fan events and platforms where fans develop romantic fantasies about artists.
Thus, revealing an artist's love life, sexual orientation and identity has long been a taboo as it would threaten this approach from the industry.
In response to Bain's coming out, a flood of online comments has shown support and respect for his move, under the hashtag #ProudofBain.
Jiae, a former member of the girl group WA$$UP, came out as bisexual in 2020 on Instagram and also revealed that she was dating a woman. Lara of the girl group KATSEYE came out as part of the LGBTQ community through the fan community platform Weverse last month.
Bain, born in 2001 with the legal name Song Byeong-hee, debuted in 2021 under Bluedot Entertainment with five other members — Geonu, Lim Jimin, JM, DY and Sangwoo.