From BTS to Mamamoo, here are some of the artists who have shown allyship throughout their careers
BY RAI POWELL, IMAGES BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The conservative country of South Korea still may not allow same-sex marriage, but K-pop idols in the country’s music industry are doing their best to show support to their LGBTQIA fans however they can.
Holland
Holland made his debut in 2018 as the first openly gay K-pop idol with his single Neverland. He chose the stage name Holland as a tribute to the first country to legalise same-sex marriage. He originally struggled to debut as no entertainment company was willing to work with an openly gay artist and so he worked multiple jobs to fund his own debut. Since then he has used his platform to be an advocate for LGBTQIA rights and to shine a light on the homophobic discrimination that queer people are still facing in Korea’s conservative society.
In 2022, he took to Instagram to share photographs after being assaulted in the popular clubbing district of Itaewon. Holland explained: “Last night, I was walking around Itaewon with my manager and a friend. Suddenly, a strange man approached me and hit me on the face twice, calling me ‘a dirty gay’. Now I have a scar on my face and I’m going to the hospital soon. This is obviously a hate crime. The fact that my sexuality as gay is public should never expose myself to this kind of violence. Nor any other LGBT+ and all elders, women and minorities in this world. This happening in 2022 shows the sad reality of LGBT+ human rights.”
But it hasn’t stopped Holland from being open about his sexuality and he continues to release music videos featuring queer relationships and love.
Jo Kwon – 2AM
The leader of the boy band 2AM is one of the fiercest allies of the community. While gender-norm-defying clothing is becoming more commonplace in K-pop now, there was something extra special about watching Jo Kwon stomping around the stage in seven-inch Jeffrey Campbell heels during the performance of their solo debut track Animal in 2012.
They have played gay and trans characters in musicals such as Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, and Rent. In 2020, Jo Kwon came out as genderless, explaining: “Being genderless is my weapon. In the past, I was afraid of having a neutral image. If people said I looked like a girl, I would pretend that wasn’t true. But now, I’m okay with it.”
Jessi
Rapper Jessi has always been at the receiving end of online hate and negativity for the way she refuses to conform to the typical K-beauty standards. She has always been open about her cosmetic surgery and her honesty is often mistaken for rudeness. She has also been vocal about her support for the LGBTQIA community and her rage about the way gay people are treated in Korea. “I have lots of friends who’re gay and friends who’re lesbians and I have lots of fans who’re gay. Support them no matter what! It would’ve been heartbreaking back in the day,” she has said in the past.
No matter what others may think of Jessi, she always remains unapologetically herself and we absolutely love her for it!
Amber Liu – F(x)
In 2009, during a time when pretty much every girl group was filled with cute and ultra-feminine concepts, Amber Liu debuted as part of F(x). Despite her fellow members sporting long hair and mini-skirts, Amber refused to conform, instead choosing to maintain her androgynous style with a short hairstyle and opting to wear baggy shorts or pants.
Of course, she’s no stranger to online hate and even recalls a distressing incident when she was scolded in a public bathroom when the women all assumed she was a man. But, despite all the rudeness and criticism over her looks and her body, she has continued to reject the notion that women should look or behave a certain way. Queer fans were very excited about her most recent music video which sees Amber on dates with both men and a women.
She told Billboard: “I have a lot of LGBTQ friends. When I hang out with one of my trans friends, he’s so happy to be who he is now. And seeing him transition through that process, it’s amazing. And you know, love is love. Love is eternal. Love takes on many shapes and forms and [these songs are] for whoever you want to sing [them]. Gay, straight, bi, whatever, it doesn’t matter. Love is love.”
So!YoOn! – Se So Neon
Debuting as the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Se So Neon, So!YoOn! became popular with lesbian fans around the world. Not only does she refuse to conform to the stereotypical K-beauty standards, but she also participated in a lesbian kiss in the music video for her solo song Bad. When asked why she chose to portray a same-sex relationship in the video she told NME:
“You mean, why I kissed a girl? [laughs] There are many shapes and forms of love, and I just wanted to best visualise it. I wasn’t particularly focused on it being a same-sex relationship, [but] I knew that gender shouldn’t hold importance when representing love.”
Moonbyul – Mamamoo
As a group, Mamamoo challenges the K-pop beauty standards, with Moonbyul in particular defying gender stereotypes by regularly dressing in suits and hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) specifically designed for men. In her solo work, she incorporates dance moves typically used by male K-pop idols whilst wearing a suit and being backed up by male dancers. There are too many instances of Mamamoo showing their support to list them all here, but during Coming Out Day, Moonbyul posted the following heartfelt message: “Whether it’s men or women, they’re all the same people. They’re people you can love. And you can’t say one or the other is wrong. People simply have different thoughts, they aren’t wrong.”
Mamamoo is definitely one of the LGBTQIA communities’ most vocal allies.
OnlyOneOf
It would be impossible to write an article about K-pop groups who support their queer fans and not mention OnlyOneOf. The six-member boy group have depicted same-sex storylines in many of their music videos and is known for holding up and dancing with fans’ pride flags during the final song of their live shows, something not many idols are allowed to do. They even helped a queer couple get engaged during one of their concerts.
Sakura – Le Sserafim
Despite being a relatively new group to the K-pop scene, Le Sserafim member Sakura is not afraid to speak her mind. She has openly supported the LGBTQIA community and spoken about the Japanese drama film Close-knit which follows a young girl who is taken in by her uncle and his trans girlfriend. Sakura recommended the film to her fans in an interview with NME and said it had given her a “better understanding of the LGBTQ community”. She also spoke about how even though “there was actually an atmosphere of caution around idols speaking their minds” she decided she should just say it anyway. She went on to explain that she wants to use her platform as an idol to influence others.
“Idols don’t just sing and dance on stage. They can also be role models for people, and someone who is always by their side for others. I also thought that if an idol was talking about the issue even more people could become aware of it, too. Some day, our group might sing a song about love and I have this idea that I’d like to sing about love that’s universal.”
BTS
Being one of the biggest boybands on the planet has never stopped BTS from pushing boundaries and speaking out about the unfairness of the society they grew up in. Leader RM has always been particularly vocal about LGTBQIA plus rights, even writing a bisexual party song for the girl group GLAM, and a gender-neutral love song for fellow BTS member Jimin to sing.
All of the members have frequently been seen not only wearing fashions that blur gender boundaries but clothing that literally promotes LGBTQIA culture and history, as well as specific pieces from Pride ranges. Member V received massive praise for diversity and inclusion in his newest music video, Fri(end)s. The MV was filmed in London and depicts V as a single man in a world of couples, couples who were beautifully diverse and featured all shapes and sizes, ethnicities, ages, and genders. There were many LGBTQIA couples in the background of the video and finally, V wakes up in bed with himself, smiling. A lesbian couple were also seen on a date in Jungkook’s music video for Seven.
The members have repeatedly recommended queer artists and films and worked with and covered queer artists including Troye Sivan, Halsey, Lil Nas X, and Umi.
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Shutdown－Moonbyul feat.Seori is the best sapphic song(｡♡‿♡｡)