JUST B Member Bain Declares He's 'Proud to Be Part of the LGBT Community' at Historic LA Concert

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A historic moment for representation in K-pop occurred last night in East Hollywood during the final show of JUST B’s latest world tour. During the boy band’s April 22 concert at The Vermont Hollywood, member Bain paused momentarily while speaking to the crowd before sharing, “I’m f-cking proud to be part of the LGBT community” to a sea of supportive screams. Watch fan-recorded footage here.

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The moment not only sees the 24-year-old joining a tiny group of Korean pop artists who have come out publicly but seems to mark the first time an active member of a K-pop boy band has come out during what’s, arguably, the height of the group’s career.

Bain (neé Song Byeonghee) along with his bandmates Geonu, Lim Jimin, Siwoo, DY, and Sangwoo have been performing on their 2025 [Just Odd] World Tour that began in March in Tokyo, with 10 dates in the U.S. before closing at last night’s final show in Los Angeles. Alongside JUST B songs like (my personal favorites) “Medusa,” “TICK TOCK” and “Damage,” each member performed at least one number solo. Throughout the tour, Bain performed iconic ’00s pop diva singles like Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor,” Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons,” Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” and “Judas,” as well as Gaga’s LGBTQ anthem “Born This Way.” (With his music taste making me think I’d be great friends with Bain)

In his final address to the crowd, Bain swam in even more supportive cheers from the audience and his group members.

“LA, thank you so much,” he began. “Today, it means a lot to me — I’m so happy that I can be myself,” before one of his bandmates followed up, saying, “We are happy too,” and another confirming, “Yeah.”

Bain closed out with, “I just want to say, until next time: stay bold, stay fierce, and lastly, always, always be your true self,” as his bandmates pushed him to take in the centerstage spotlight.

While Bain is not the first K-pop artist to come out publicly, he does so in a remarkably bold way as JUST B approaches four years together.

Bain first came to the public spotlight in 2018 after competing in the boy band survival show Under Nineteen, which included mentors and special guests like BTS’ J-Hope and EXO’s Kai. While Bain missed being part of the final group, 1THE9, his future bandmate DY won first place on the show and was part of the temporary band until 2020. Meanwhile, Lim Jimin was a former contestant on The Fan (the same competition show that introduced Yeji, the future leader of ITZY, to audiences) and released an album as a solo artist. Members Geonu and Siwoo were contestants on I-Land, the 2020 reality series that created ENHYPEN.

JUST B officially debuted on June 30, 2021, with the release of their debut EP, Just Burn, under the new agency BLUEDOT Entertainment. The EP’s lead single “Damage” was produced by Bang Yongguk, the leader of pioneering hip-hop boy band B.A.P (the point that first made me interested in JUST B) with the group releasing five EPs to date, as well as a string of singles.

In the past, Korean pop culture figures have had their careers ruined by publicly coming out. The most infamous example is actor Hong Seokcheon, whose coming out in 2000 just six years into his award-winning career, initially forced him out of the entertainment business. Despite South Korea’s continuing conservative culture and society, Hong managed to return to entertainment in television, hosting, and, eventually, acting with significant support from the younger generation. Today, Hong hosts some of the top programs in Korea fully out and regularly features top artists on his programs — most recently having Tomorrow X Together’s Yeonjun on his Treasure Box series (where he’s nicknamed “Top Gay” and his co-host Kim Ddol Ddol is known as the “New Gay”) which is seen as a prominent program to reach fans.

And 2024 was JUST B and Bain’s most visible year of crossover attempts.

In January last year, Bain competed on the reality show Build Up : Vocal Boy Group Survivor, which saw top male vocalists battling it out for a spot in a new quartet. Bain’s team, The Partners, placed second in the show. Then in May, JUST B released the light pop-punk English single “Daddy’s Girl” (in both a clean and explicit version). In September, JUST B collaborated with fellow rising band ATBO to form a supergroup called The CrewOne to join the popular boy-group competition program Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace alongside fellow next-generation K-pop acts CRAVITY, 8TURN, TEMPEST, ONEUS, TNX, and YOUNITE. The CrewOne landed in fifth in the finale, but not before Bain got to show off his vocal chops once again in a special performance of “Vocal Aces,” where Bain sang alongside ONEUS’ Seoho, CRAVITY’s Woobin, 8TURN’s Myungho, and YOUNITE’s Eunho.

Bain’s news is the latest moment of international pop stars speaking out about their sexualities on their own terms in safe, superfan spaces

As previously reported, Lara of KATSEYE came out as “half fruitcake” while talking to fans on her Weverse account, followed by members like Manon cheering on her announcement. I recently spoke to KATSEYE and shared a supportive congratulations with Lara, and her bandmates immediately cheered and surrounded her with a supportive hug.

K-pop’s first LGBTQ boy band LIONESSES have spoken up about some of South Korean television stations banning their music for the (bizarre) reason of “homosexuality” (which leading broadcaster MBC not only reversed but made a public apology over the initial ruling). Still, the group’s Damjun, Kanghan, and Lee Malrang have shared that politically influential Christian groups continue to protest the group’s right to exist.

While I do have worries that JUST B may find difficulties or additional hurdles to jump over in Korea following Bain’s reveal, this announcement happening in Hollywood, Los Angeles (of all places) with the fervent support of fans present for a group that’s clearly making strides to reach more international fans, make this nothing but a celebratory moment.

With fans and band members supporting their queer peers, the K-pop industry is taking steps toward normalizing LGBTQ identities. It will happen eventually; it’s simply a matter of when and if anyone will make issues for the artists who do come out. I call upon those in all positions of power and influence to be on the right side of history early and say you were always supporting LGBTQ+ artists.

This is a developing story. I’ve reached out to BLUEDOT and JUST B’s touring management team for further comment and insight.

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