Just B’s Vain Becomes First Active K-Pop Boy Group Member to Come Out as Gay; ZEROBASEONE’s Overseas Fanbase Launches Donation Campaign for LGBTQ+ Rights

Vain, the vocalist of Just B, stepped onto the stage during the band’s “Just Odd” world tour concert in Los Angeles on April 22 and declared, “I am proud to be part of the LGBTQ community,” while waving a rainbow flag. The audience responded with loud applause and cheers. Although several K-Pop artists have come out over the past few years, Vain is the first active member of a Korean boy group to do so. Coming at a time when the K-Pop industry has historically restricted open discussions about sexual orientation due to its conservative cultural backdrop, Vain’s disclosure is being regarded as a landmark moment across the industry. This decision marks 25 years since Hong Seok-cheon, a broadcaster, became the first Korean entertainer to publicly come out through a magazine interview in 2000. At that time, Hong faced severe public backlash, including being temporarily barred from major television appearances due to his public statement. Since then, other celebrities who came out, such as Jiae, a former member of the girl group WJSN, Sum Heebin, a participant in the survival show “Idol School,” and K-pop trot singer Kwon Do-un, also encountered similar criticism from the public and challenges to their careers. Meanwhile, “Rainbow Zeroes,” ZEROBASEONE’s overseas LGBTQ+ fan community group, is fulfilling its social responsibility through donation projects aimed at supporting LGBTQ+ rights initiatives in Korea. They have provided funds to organizations including Biondu Rainbow Foundation, which supports LGBTQ+ rights activities, the Seoul Queer Culture Festival organizing committee, the Ttingdong Youth LGBTQ+ Support Center, and the Aishop HIV/AIDS Support Center. Rainbow Zeroes has been carrying out this donation project since 2024, raising $2,000 (approximately 2.87 million won) in the first year and doubling that amount to $4,000 (approximately 5.75 million won) this year. This success is closely linked to the active fan-created content culture within the fandom, such as fanfics and fan art. The donation process involves selling tickets that fans can bid on to top fan creators. Winners of the bids communicate the themes and stories they want the creators to develop, with higher ticket purchases increasing the chances of winning. This mechanism creates a structure in which LGBTQ+ fan communities can actively support real-world LGBTQ+ rights efforts. According to an unofficial census of ZEROBASEONE’s overseas fanbase, around 50% of international fans are estimated to be LGBTQ+. The organizer of Rainbow Zeroes explained that fan activities are valuable because “this space is safe for LGBTQ+ people,” adding that LGBTQ+ fans have a strong sense of identity and solidarity, uniting firmly as a community. Overseas LGBTQ+ fans show interest in LGBTQ+ rights in Korea because idols share their everyday lives with them through content. Through this, fans can observe and understand the society in which their favorite idols live, naturally developing interest in Korean society given that K-Pop idols are based in Korea. On the project’s website, Rainbow Zeroes mentioned that LGBTQ+ people in Korea face structural discrimination amid political apathy and hate propaganda from conservative Protestant groups. It criticized the failure to pass anti-discrimination laws and local governments’ interference with the hosting of queer culture festivals. The group also pointed out that while LGBTQ+ characters are popular in media and fan-created works, the real lives of LGBTQ+ individuals do not receive similar recognition. The organizer of Rainbow Zeroes emphasized that “LGBTQ+ people who aspire to become idols should be able to reveal their true selves safely and confidently,” stressing that supporting LGBTQ+ rights activities in Korea is the goal pursued by her and her team members. This is interpreted as responsible action by the fandom, aiming to create the culture they enjoy while ensuring that people with the same identity can live equally and safely in that field.