Lionesses recently debuted, and this boy group is making history as the first out LGBTQ+ K-Pop boy group!
Lionesses is made up of 4 members.
This is Damjun.
This is Foxman.
This is Kanghan.
This is Lee Marlang, the group’s maknae.
The group of 4 met while frequenting LGBTQ+ friendly places in South Korea. Over time, they bonded over their desire to make music that the LGBTQ+ community would resonate with. The members said they hope to “play the role of a lighthouse so that young LGBTQ people who dream of becoming musicians don’t miss their shot due to their fear.”
The group’s name was inspired by real-life lionesses. Damjun said that lionesses are the real rulers of the jungle, even though people think male lions run the jungle. He said, “We tend to think that the carnivore at the top of the food chain in the African ecosystem, which we often see through the media, is the male lion with the thick bushy mane. But the ruler of the plains is actually the lioness. It’s a group of lionesses in charge of the hunting of the troop.”
Lionesses said they plan to emphasize queer acceptance in their music. While they acknowledged that South Korea has progressed in terms of LGBTQ+ acceptance, Foxman said there’s still much work to be done. He said, “I think Korean society is still very conservative — although it’s much better than before — and I think our perspectives and perceptions will change more in the future.”
Lionesses acknowledged that there are other openly LGBTQ+ K-Pop idols, but they are the first boy group in which every single member is openly LGBTQ+ at the time of their debut.
To date, the group has released one song called “Show Me Your Pride.” Through this song, Lionesses hopes “to inspire other LGBTQ+ Koreans to find their own joy and happiness.”
Check out the “Show Me Your Pride” music video below!
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