Indtry Insights: You Won’t See Gay Idols Around Anytime Soon — afterglow

Contents:

• IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY
• ARE THERE REALLY A LOT OF GAY IDOLS? CRAYON POP’S WAY & BLANC7’S SHWOO REVEAL THEIR EXPERIENCE
• TOP 10 MALE IDOLS LOVED BY GAY MEN – KIZEN – KPOPH
• INDTRY INSIGHTS: YOU WON’T SEE GAY IDOLS AROUND ANYTIME SOON
• FIRST OPENLY GAY K-POP IDOL HOLLAND REVEALS HE HAS A BOYIEND THAT HE WANTS TO MARRY
• THIS 1ST GENERATN IDOL GROUP DISBAND BEE OF GAY INTER-RELATNS?

IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY

Holland is not the first known LGBT K-pop idol, but you n say that this new generatn of K-pop, he's one of the first idols who admted that he's gay.

He ially me out as gay 2015, and upon g Korea, his iends told him to keep his sexualy secret - but he's proud of his inty, makg him the first Korean artist who is openly gay. However, durg an terview, she nfsed she is gay, g her to be kicked out om her agency. Maman Maman, who origally buted 2007 unr the stage name Magoply, is K-Pop first openly gay idol.

Shortly after butg, Maman me out as gay an terview. Holland Holland is well-known as the media’s first openly gay K-Pop idol. He has been openly gay sce 2015 and buted 2018.

ARE THERE REALLY A LOT OF GAY IDOLS? CRAYON POP’S WAY & BLANC7’S SHWOO REVEAL THEIR EXPERIENCE

Though his gay Korean iends told him would be better to stay the closet, he chose to e out as a way to be his te self. There are reasons why there aren’t a lot of openly gay idols. Two sirs nfirmed that gay idols are more mon than expected.

| For their Dark Sis Of K-Pop segment, former Blady member Co and traee-turned-lyricist Ga Maeng were asked how Korean pani view same-sex relatnships and gay idols.

TOP 10 MALE IDOLS LOVED BY GAY MEN – KIZEN – KPOPH

Dpe idols not talkg about their sexualy, there are que a few who are gay.

INDTRY INSIGHTS: YOU WON’T SEE GAY IDOLS AROUND ANYTIME SOON

In a society where celebri receive backlash for g out as gay, mak sense why K-Pop idols who are part of the LGBT muny want to protect themselv. He not only me out publicly (which mt have taken a lot of urage) but he also publicly speaks out agast homophobia Korean culture.

This one explor the difficulti gay men face a culture not iendly to LGBTQA+ dividuals. He famoly msaged a gay izen to give volume to their voice. Hoya (formerly of INFINITE) Hoya played Kang Joon Hee, a gay character Answer Me 1997, and received both acclaim and cricism.

CL CL is well-known for her huge LGBTQA+ fan base and her iendship wh Jeremy Stt, who is openly gay. ELLE: You have such a big gay followg. I have so many gay iends and I love them so much bee they’re fun.

FIRST OPENLY GAY K-POP IDOL HOLLAND REVEALS HE HAS A BOYIEND THAT HE WANTS TO MARRY

What is like to be gay South Korea? Homophobia is still rife South Korea, where very few mastream mic stars have e out as gay.

There, homosexual sex is not banned, but is illegal the ary, where almost all men mt plete a stt of pulsory nscriptn. “It’s kd of sad, ” said Jungm Kwon, an amic who wrote a book lled “Straight Korean Female Fans and Their Gay Fantasi.

“On the one hand looks like the dtry is very open md to shippg culture, ” she told CNN, referrg to the culture among fans of imagg relatnships between their favore stars – cludg gay relatnships.

THIS 1ST GENERATN IDOL GROUP DISBAND BEE OF GAY INTER-RELATNS?

Acrdg to Kwon, fans were spired by “yaoi” – a kd of Japane manga that featur gay relatnships between male upl – and began makg up stori about their favore stars. Even now, K-pop labels sometim cultivate idols’ homoerotic appeal the hop that mak them more popular fanfictn, where Kwon timat 80% of stori volve gay story l. South Korea’s rerd labels are happy to let fans fantasize about idols beg gay.

But they don’t want gay idols be open about their sexualy. But when me time to but, the label was agast him butg as a gay idol. “It’s a shame that’s the lim they n go when to showg homosexual teractn – n only be portrayed as funny.