After passing the past where public relationships were also forbidden, it is now an era where idol stars are 'coming out.' Of course, due to the nature of exposed professions, this is still cautious, but those who have mustered the courage are receiving support.

Recently, K-pop idol stars have been making headlines by confessing their sexual identities. Lara from the global group Cats Eye and member Bae In (real name Song Byung-hee) of the group Just Be are the main characters. Previously, Ji-ae from the group Wassup also confessed to being bisexual. They are those who have mustered the courage despite the very cautious nature of idol group fandoms. Even fellow members have sent encouragement, supporting their 'coming out.'

Lara is a member of the global girl group Cats Eye, co-produced by HYBE and Geffen Records. She joined the team through a survival program and officially debuted on June 28 of last year. Although HYBE participated in its production, Cats Eye is a multinational group based in Los Angeles, consisting of six members.

As she began her full-fledged activities, member Lara attracted attention by confessing her sexual identity through the fan communication platform Weverse last month. Lara stated that she realized she was 'half fruitcake' at the age of 8 and revealed that she is gay.

Regarding her participation in the survival audition project, she said, 'I was really scared because I thought people might not accept me and I could ruin my chance.' She confessed, 'In fact, coming out can be scary. I also have the additional wall of being a person of color, so it was a bit frightening.'

Lara confidently stated, 'I am so grateful that the people around me and my fans support me, and I am proud of myself. My sexual identity is a part of me. I am not ashamed of this fact at all, and I feel great.' Lara received even more attention for being a current girl group member who has come out.

Following Lara, Bae In from Just Be confessed his sexual identity on stage. On the 22nd (local time), during the Just Be world tour concert held in Los Angeles, he stated, 'I am proud to belong to the LGBT community.' 'LGBT' is an abbreviation used to refer to sexual minorities within and outside of the LGBTQ+ human rights movement. This was the first confession from an active male idol.

In this regard, Bae In's agency, Blue Dot Entertainment, told OSEN, 'As it is a matter related to Bae In's private life and sexual identity, it is difficult to provide a separate stance.' Being a private matter, they chose silence over support.

Despite the cautious attitude of the agency, Just Be member Siwoo publicly supported Bae In. Siwoo said, 'Today, Byung-hee (Bae In) was amazing. A round of applause for his courage,' adding, 'Watching from backstage made me tear up. I know how difficult and hard it was, so the tears flowed even more. Byung-hee has already been hugged. It was such a happy tour.' This was a statement supporting Bae In's courageous confession as a team.

In this way, support continues with Lara from Cats Eye and Bae In from Just Be mustering their courage. In the past, the K-pop idol market applied strict standards to personal lives, where public relationships and even dating rumors were taboo, but it is now interpreted that diversity and change are being accepted.

Of course, within the fandom, there are simultaneous voices of support and negativity. While some fans, mostly from overseas fan communities, openly support Bae In, others react that he should have considered the other members and the team. Given that he gathered the courage to confess, this remains a homework for Bae In to address.

[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by HYBE.

[OSEN]