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IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY
Origatg 1960s Japan, where was known as “yaoi, ” BL typilly picts two men a homoerotic relatnship. Some LGBTQ activists have acced BL stori of fetishizg and appropriatg gay culture.
Wily regnized as South Korea’s first openly gay K-pop artist, the sger and actor Go Tae-seob, who the stage name Holland, starred a BL drama last year and believ that the growg visibily of BL books, TV seri and movi is a posive step.
Bdette, who also intifi as gay and is a longstandg BL fan, said the genre will shake up nservative views on genr and sexualy South Korea. “Whether you are a heterosexual woman tryg to ject your sexual tonomy to the world, or you are a gay man who wants to see posive reprentatns of male-male romance, BL n be ed, ” he said. Maman Maman, who origally buted 2007 unr the stage name Magoply, is K-Pop first openly gay idol.
ARE K-POP STARS "SO GAY"?
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. 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. 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.