K-POP star that came out to the world on stage

Bane was halfway through Los Angeles' concert at his band on a fresh April night when the music stopped.

In a huge coat and black sunglasses, the 24-year-old K-POP star told thousands of fans: “Before I start the next song, I want to share something with you, boys.”

A brief pause and then: “I am (exploit) proud to be part of the LGBTQ community!”

The crowd erupted in applause and screams when Bane invaded Lady Gaga's pride: “Just put your paws because you were born this way, honey.”

At that moment, when he went out to the world, he was not nervous, he tells the BBC in an interview with his studio in Seoul – he was trying to “sound cool.”

A handful of K -pop artists have come out as a gay in recent years – but not a single one like Bane.

Even in 2025, it was a bold move in the entertainment industry of South Korea, where the stars hold impossible standards. Recognizing even a heterosexual relationship is scandalous.

“There were people in the industry who knew (I thought to go out) and warned me against it, saying it would be a risk,” Bane says. “And, of course, I thought about the risk – to lose the fans.

“But then I thought that society was changing … I could win more than I could lose.”

This is the big question: did he open it to change in an industry that became global but remains deeply rooted in conservative South Korea?

Bane, whose real name is Song Byeonghee, says he was in high school, about 12 years old when he realized he was gay.

Shortly afterwards, he decided to become a K -POP trainee, but kept his sexuality secret – he felt gay “not allowed.”

“It wasn't something I asked … I just thought I had no choice,” he says. “There was no one else (around me who was gay). I thought I could just pretend and continue.”

Wealthy, modern South Korea is still traditional in many ways. Powerful but conservative churches often see homosexuality As a disability or Sin. And same -sex marriage is not legally recognized.

In 2021, Bayne made his debut as part of a six -member boy's tape, only B. They released several albums and participated in reality shows, winning a dedicated audience.

But through all this, the years of hiding a part of themselves have taken a fee for Bane.

“I was so overwhelmed, I thought I might not be an idol at all. I felt I was hiding so much. I decided to talk to my mom.”

It was about three years ago. His mother was the first person in his family, who realized, “We talked for an hour and finally said,” I like men more than women. ” Then she knew. “

Her reaction was difficult for him. “Honestly, she didn't like her – not in the beginning. She said she thought I could overcome him, that maybe one day I would like women. She felt sad … that I would now encounter bad reactions from others. But (she) said,” You are my son, so I love you, I love you, I love you. “It was mixed.

Then the members of his team and the company began to encourage him to take a jump – and tell the world.

Earlier this year, the group started a world tour and at the last stop of their US tour Bayne decided to take the stage.

Since then, the group has been brought into the spotlight – as Bane gives countless interviews as it has quickly become the new face of the Korean LGBTQ community.

“I have the feeling that I've changed a lot since I went out. I feel more confident. When I meet someone new, I show who I am right now,” he says. “But I also feel sad that now my identity is such a big deal.”

Over time, he hopes, people will stop saying, “Oh he's gay, but soon, oh, that's exactly who he is.”

When South Korean actor Hong Seok-Hon came out as a gay in 2000, LGBTQ's representation really entered the country's mainstream.

He was the first Korean celebrity to open for his sexuality – and she came at a price. He had dropped out of television shows and commercials.

Relationships have certainly changed since. A 2019 Pew survey showed that the number of people who have adopted homosexuality increased to 44% of 25% in 2002.

Still, only a handful of other celebrities came out. In 2018, the Netherlands became the first outdoor gay performer of K-POP and in 2020 Jiae, a former member of the Girl Group Wassup, came out as bisexual. They both said it was difficult for them to sign with a recording label as a result.

However, Bane's announcement is noted by both fans and the LGBTQ Community of South Korea.

“When someone like an idol comes out, it gives people like me the feeling of being not alone,” says a 26-year-old Korean transgender woman who does not want to be baptized.

“It brings comfort … it makes me think, maybe I'm good as I am.”

Online, too, the bigger part of the comments are positive. A gay fan in a comment on YouTube wrote how he was encouraged by Bane after feeling “so despair” by “hateful comments” and discrimination.

“But thanks to Bane, I found the courage to continue.”

International fans cheered it especially: “After the initial shock, I started crying,” said Leah, a K-POP fan from the US, who identifies himself as a lesbian.

“Knowing that Korea still has some repression against LGBTQ people, the courage and courage that he manifested by coming out … (was) delightful.”

The cultural footprint of South Korea is growing globally and this has led fans everywhere, with its own perspectives and beliefs. They can reshape the K-POP industry.

But it will take time. And this is obvious in the scope of comments in response to Bane's message – disapproval of apathy.

On the one hand, the country has observed an increase in the right, often avoided anti -firists in young men who seem to oppose any challenge to traditional sex roles.

And these roles remain strong in South Korea. The government and church champion conventional family values, encouraging young people to marry and have children, so that they can increase birth rates, currently the most in the world.

Given all this, it may be no surprise that homosexuality is still taboo, even in the global industry like K-POP.

This is a world where even couples do not talk about their personal lives, says criticism Lim He-Jun.

“K-POP has spent nearly 25 years, avoiding the topic of sexuality (completely). Even heterosexual relations are hidden to protect fantasies of fans.”

Bane, he adds, “caused this silence in a symbolic and powerful way. I believe this marks a major moment.”

But he believes that fans may have reacted much differently – “may have been explosive” – ​​if a member of a global boy's tape came out as a gay.

“The case of Bane was significant, but his group is not so known (so) that it does not cause as much movement of the inner appearance,” says G -n Lim.

Bane has certainly helped to raise awareness, he agrees. “This is a slow process, but we see more public figures who speak or contain content around these LGBTQ problems.”

But any immediate change in K-POP or the entertainment industry is unlikely, according to him.

“This is not just a social problem – it's a market problem. Men's idols usually have a much more female female fanbase … (s) if you find out that your favorite male idol is gay, it can break the illusion that you could one day be the subject of its affection,” he says.

“So, if they do it (go out), they run the risk of shaking the base on which their farm is built.”

However, Bane says his decision would be worth it if even “one person in K-POP gained power or interest” from him.

“I spent so long pretending … I realized that since I went out, others felt safe.”

On the day he came out, he remembers, several fans approached him, saying they were gay or lesbians, talking about his own identity.

“They thanked me and I thought” I had to do it early. “