K-pop idols who openly support the LGBT+ community

While South Korea has shown its reach and impact across various industries and communities such as fashion, beauty and music, the country has surprisingly remained conservative towards LGBT-related issues. In fact, Holland—one of the only few openly gay artists in South Korea—was physically assaulted in a homophobic attack in May 2022. While the social climate surrounding LGBT in the country has been slowly improving, the topic still remains taboo and controversial. 

As K-pop idols who have been heavily media-trained, they are taught not to comment on such divisive issues. However, there are K-pop idols who have gone against the grain and bravely spoken out in defence of the LGBT+ community, even if it invites hate and negativity towards themselves. As the LGBT+ make up a huge part of the K-pop fandom, it’s comforting to know that there are idols that queer fans can look up to and feel seen. Ahead, we gleaned some of the most LGBT-friendly K-pop idols who are proud allies. Happy Pride Month!

 

OnlyOneOf

Debuted in 2019, OnlyOneOf is truly a gift to the LGBT+ community for being the only current boy group actively promoting queer storylines. Consisting of six members, the group gained an international fanbase for releasing songs that have explicit (read: not queerbaiting!) references to same-sex love. The sextet’s main focus is on exploring non-heteronormative relationships and each of the members has released their own solo tracks that follow a BL (boy’s love) narrative. 

The members partake in their own songwriting and choreography, and are even set to star in a BL-themed web series soon! As a group unabashedly embracing queerness, OnlyOneOf is a rarity in the K-pop industry and offers much LGBT+ visibility to fans around the world. Here’s a video of the members watching proudly as a proposal between a lesbian couple occurred at one of their American concerts—showing how much of a safe space OnlyOneOf has created for their LGBT+ fans!

A COUPLE JUST GOT ENGAGED AT ONLYONEOF MINNEAPOLIS?!?!;?, pic.twitter.com/RHorfYtHyQ

— 💦 ; 🐶🐤🎸 ‎ (@ultktr) April 5, 2023

 

Mamamoo

Mamamoo is known in the K-pop industry as one of the most supportive groups towards the LGBT+. From donning Pride-themed clothes to using gender-neutral lyrics, the quartet are proud allies of the queer community. The leader of the group, Moonbyul, released Shutdown which is an erotic song about a lesbian relationship whilst Wheein’s Goodbye also explicitly depicts a sapphic relationship. In 2024, Solar’s dance anthem Colours pays tribute to drag culture and drag performers.

Further, Mamamoo has a fan project called Rainbow Moomoos, in which LGBT+ fans and allies can sponsor Pride festivals around the country on behalf of the fandom. As a result, they were the first K-pop fandom to sponsor Seoul Pride in 2017.

Read: 6 Badass female K-pop idols we should all emulate

 

2AM’s Jo Kwon

Jo Kwon is a veteran of the K-pop industry and has always been ahead of the curve when it came to self-expression and the concept of masculinity. He pushed the boundaries in South Korea long before the LGBT+ movement became mainstream, making him one of the original K-pop allies (and member!) of the community. His debut Animal in 2012 (which features a pre-debut J-Hope) saw him decked out in tight leather pants and sky-high Jeffrey Campbell heels which was unseen for a Korean male artist at that time. While the singer has been subjected to many hate comments from netizens, his love for the LGBT+, specifically drag culture, and high heels remain unchanged.

 

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A post shared by 조권 (@kwon_jo)

In an interview with Newsis, Jo Kwon identifies as genderless. “Being genderless is my weapon…I’m able to accept myself as I am. This is my long-lasting weapon in the future genderless age.” The multi-talented artist has continued to embrace his androgyny and starred in multiple queer musicals.

 

BTS

While the mega pop icons are known for their powerful performances and record-breaking hits, ARMYs know that BTS are also vocal supporters of the LGBT+ community. Leader and rapper, RM, has expressed his solidarity towards them numerous times. For instance, he tweeted about Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s Same Love and shared, “This song is about same-sex love. It’s good when you listen without paying attention to the lyrics, but even better if you do.” Their music video for I Need U and Run also has an implied homosexual relationship between the characters played by Suga and Jungkook.

Further, RM and Jungkook have covered several Troye Sivan songs, who is an openly gay artist. A lot of BTS’ music emphasises self-love and acceptance. This was relayed once again during RM’s United Nations speech in 2019 in which he encourages tolerance “no matter who you are, where you are from, your skin colour, your gender identity.” V AKA Kim Taehyung also once recommended Call Me By Your Name, a love story between two men, to J-Hope as a movie that he really enjoyed—taste!

 

Shinee’s Jonghyun

Probably one of the idols most known for his fervent support of the LGBT+ community is none other than Shinee Jonghyun. As a member of a second-generation K-pop group, social media platforms were beginning to become vital tools to communicate with fans. The singer had no qualms about posting to his nearly one million Twitter followers on current events, no matter how controversial they were. 

when jonghyun sent a message to a transgender bisexual person and changed his profile picture in support of the “annyeong” protests for lgbt rights in korea https://t.co/iOPlwoGJ5Q pic.twitter.com/ga0BEeOSHz

— president of jongtae land (@bvmkii) March 16, 2023

 

The most notable was when Jonghyun tweeted in support of 2013’s Annyeong Protest which highlighted the discrimination the LGBT+ community faced in South Korea. The singer had actually privately messaged the transgender university student who sparked the protest and comforted her by stating, “I support you. As a celebrity, as a minority of a different type in front of the public, I also feel disappointment towards the world that does not accept our differences. Of course, I can’t compare that to what you feel.” His kind words advocating for LGBT+ rights still resonate 10 years later. Sadly, Jonghyun tragically passed away in 2017, but his kindness and acceptance towards the queer community will always be remembered by his fans as his shining legacy.

 

Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and Tiffany

Out of the group, singers Taeyeon and Tiffany are the ones who have shown the most support for the LGBT+. The former, known for being straightforward and not one to hold her tongue, stood up for her drag friends in 2013 when her Instagram post with two drag stars was met with criticism. When asked to delete the image, the singer simply said, “no and respect them they’re my friends.” On 11 October 2016, Taeyeon celebrated National Coming Out Day with a subtle post of a rainbow.

 

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Tiffany has also shown that she has nothing but love for the LGBT+. For Pride Month, she partnered up with Neon Milk, a queer creative collective, to release a special edition of Girls’ Generation’s iconic debut song, Into The New World, for LGBT+ fans all around the world. Being aware that many of her fans come from the community, the California-raised singer also wrote a touching love letter on Billboard to them. She shared, “I’m thankful and blessed to be able to work with and love so many amazing individuals in the LGBTQ+ community that have contributed so much love to my art and my life.”

 

Seventeen

With their infectious energy and all-round talents, there is a lot to love about Seventeen. All 13 members have shown love for the LGBT community in their own way—leader S.Coups wearing Pride-inspired apparel; Dino reading a book featuring a lesbian couple; Mingyu intentionally creating a genderless plushie; Wonwoo donating his Call Me By Your Name phone cases to a cat adoption shelter, the list goes on!

One of the highlights was when Vernon directly addressed the topic during a live interview in New York. When asked by a fan (around the 26:14 mark) if they had any words for their large LGBT+ fandom, Vernon thanked them for loving their music and that he hopes Seventeen can make a “better place together for everyone and their equal rights.” When another fan thanked him on a later fan call about his kind words, the rapper simply said, “I just said the obvious, thank you.” He has also recommended the Oscar-winning queer film Moonlight to fans.

remember when minghao said: LGBT RIGHTS !! pic.twitter.com/NzmeTGTsxt

— َ (@adultcheol) September 13, 2020

The8 has also shown lots of love to LGBT fans through his genderless artworks and by defying gender norms by painting his nails and styling himself in androgynous clothes. Furthermore, fellow Chinese member Jun’s solo single Crow was written by a gay Malaysian couple who based the song on the challenges they faced. “When I chose this song, I thought everyone is a unique…When you accept yourself and accept others who are different from you, you’ll realise that even crows are beautiful and they will bravely soar for love.”

 

Le Sserafim’s Yunjin and Sakura

For a group that only debuted in 2022, it’s not often you see fresh-faced K-pop idols comment on taboo topics early into their career. Embodying their group’s concept of living fearlessly, members Yunjin and Sakura are bold supporters of the LGBT+. Yunjin posted on the group’s Twitter with the caption “Little throwback for Pride 🙂 I love you. Unconditionally.” 

Japanese member Sakura also expressed some poignant views on same-sex love in a movie review for Close Knit which was published in Weverse magazine. In it, she mentions how her country needs to have a better understanding of queer community and its many forms of relationships. “Love between men, love between women, it’s fine that they exist…People who are referred to as transgender, they live life while being true to their hearts…Even myself, there isn’t a right timing or encounter yet but there’s a possibility for me to fall in love with a woman too.”

 

(G)i-dle’s Shuhua

Debuting in 2018, (G)i-dle has become notorious for going against the grain of typical girl groups. With their powerful charisma and fierce concepts, the members embody confident women who speak their minds. While the group has released several feminist anthems such as Tomboy, Wife and Super Lady that appeal to the LGBT community, none are as unapologetic as Shuhua. Despite being the more introverted member in (G)i-dle, she has never shied away from waving Pride flags during concerts bravely and giving her LGBT fans inspiring words of encouragement.

 

#SHUHUA #슈화Translation clip 2: pic.twitter.com/pnQzaisiWC

— 예민민 (@LilyYee15) August 15, 2022

During a video call, a fan asked the K-pop idol for advice on how to tell her unsupportive parents about liking someone of the same sex. “Love bravely,” Shuhua said in Mandarin. “Dating is your own business, not your parents. Try to communicate with them earnestly. If they really love you, I think they will accept it eventually. You don’t know the power of love. Just go for it. I want you to love bravely!”

 

SF9’s Zuho

The popularity of Boys Love dramas across Asia has significantly helped bring awareness to same-sex relationships. As a result, South Korea has also seen an increase in BL shows over the past five years with hits such as Semantic Error and To My Star. Both dramas featured K-pop idols and established actors which shows that the topic of male-male relationships is not as taboo as before. Nevertheless, South Korea still generally holds conservative values towards sexuality and love, which means that those who star in such shows are often the subject of criticism.

SF9 ZUHO's response after receiving homophobic comments for acting in an upcoming BL “#Starstruck #스타스트럭”.pic.twitter.com/abOKSgLqHN

— BL Update (@BLUPDATE2022) October 24, 2022

 

During a live stream, SF9’s Zuho received several hate comments slamming his decision to star in the BL Starstruck despite being a K-pop idol. Unperturbed, the rapper took the time to address the sentiments by giving a thoughtful and impactful speech. “It’ll be wrong to treat anything with prejudice and everything is precious and should receive love. There’s nothing that we should draw a line around and prejudice it, everyone. Please see and think of everything in a good light.” Bravely speaking up for the LGBT community, Zuho’s words and maturity were praised by many fans.

 

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