K-pop: Why 's hard for stars to be gay South Korea | CNN

Contents:

• IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY
• KPOP STARS THAT HAS BEEN RUMORED AS GAY [PART 2]
• KPOP STARS THAT HAS BEEN RUMORED AS GAY [PART 1]
• IS JO KWON GAY? PERFORMG AS A DRAG QUEEN SPARKS RUMORS!

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

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.

KPOP STARS THAT HAS BEEN RUMORED AS GAY [PART 2]

“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. 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.

KPOP STARS THAT HAS BEEN RUMORED AS GAY [PART 1]

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.

After Hong me out publicly as gay 2000, he was fired om his hostg job and lost other work – and thor Kwon believ that harsh rponse has disuraged others om followg su. Holland thks thgs are changg: more artists appear to be ditg that they are alli of the gay muny. In the absence of nfirmatn, mentators have ed small, clive clu to speculate on their stance, for example, the time the band’s lear RM tweeted Macklemore’s song “Same Love, ” which promot equal rights for gay people.

IS JO KWON GAY? PERFORMG AS A DRAG QUEEN SPARKS RUMORS!

But ultimately, experts believe a time when gay stars are accepted mastream K-pop uld still be some way off. 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. muny, the female celebri are also likely to enjoy homosexualy as.