K-pop star JUST B’s Bain comes out: 'Proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community'

The world of K-pop recently welcomed Katseye’s Lara Rajagopalan into the LGBTQ+ fam, and now we get to welcome JUST B’s Bain into the fold, too.

The band, which debuted in 2021, consists of members Geonu, Bain, Lim Ji-min, Siwoo, DY, and Sangwoo, is known for their songs like “Damage” and “Medusa” and have been gaining popularity stateside over the last couple of years.

Over the weekend, at a concert in Los Angeles for the band’s “JUST ODD” tour, Bain, whose real name is Song Byeonghee, stepped forward to perform a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”

However, before he started, Bain said, “All right, before I sing this next song, tonight I wanna share something with you guys.”

After a dramatic pause and some cheers from the crowd, he said, “I’m f**king proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community.”

The announcement sent shockwaves through the fandom, who met the news with grace and encouragement. Following his announcement, Bain proceeded to dance around the stage with a pride flag while he belted out Gaga’s iconic tune, often associated as a gay anthem.

Considering the conservative values typically displayed in the K-pop industry, fans viewed this as a bold move. Although K-pop artists have shown various support for the LGBTQ+ community in unique ways over the years, something as outright as Bain’s coming out is extremely rare.

At the end of the concert, Bain also took some time to thank the audience for their support, saying the evening meant a lot to him.

“I’m so happy that I can be myself,” he said. “I just wanna say until next time: Stay bold, stay fierce, and lastly, always, always be your true selves.”

Bain joins Rajagopalan in the folds of the queer K-pop world alongside MRSHLL (Marshall Bang), who was the first K-pop star to come out in 2017.

Outside of the audience’s approval, the rest of JUST B also gathered around Bain to offer their support to his news.

Keep scrolling for some other reactions to Bain’s announcement.

"bain. omg pls tune into just b, they make nothing but bangers and are SO talented"

"its literally all tears onstage tonight omg #justb #just_b #bain"

"JUST B member Bain has come out as a member of the LGBT community at the recent stop of the group's ongoing tour!"

"my bain we love you so much and we’re all so proud of you"

"feeling so emotional rn… i stopped keeping up w just b some time ago but seeing bain come out on stage is so fuckin amazing i wanna cry so bad. i just want him to be happy forever"

"even if you don’t stan just b, no one can deny the impact bain has made tonight in the kpop community. i hope he receives endless support for coming out & i hope it helps others feel comfortable enough to be their true selves publicly. being lgbtq+ is ALWAYS smth to be proud of!!"

"oh my bain,,, it takes so, so much courage to do what you did and i hope that you feel all the love and support from everyone around you. thank you for being your authentic self always and for trusting us so much to be on this journey with you. #WeLoveBain#ProudofBain"

"Now back to work where i have to pretend to be normal and not freaking out in excitement over bain and just b low key blowing up the internet"

"seeing just b and specifically bain and their growth from debut to now… so proud"

"genuinely can't stop thinking about how happy i am to be a fan of just b like. the members showing their love and support to bain is so special and so meaningful for a lot of us. truly stanning the right group"

"just b released a new song, whatever you’re going through, itll be okay. bain is definitely feeling the love from the audience i promise you"

"i’m bout to cry thinking about my snapshot with bain . i was thanking him for showing his true self and being so inspiring . he listened to sweetly and then fixed my hair for me and gave me the biggest hug . i love him sm"