Back in 2020, K-pop solo singer Jiae (지애), made nationwide headlines after she revealed that she’s bisexual. Three years after the news broke out. the former member of the girl group WA$$UP has decided to open up about the hardships she encountered after coming out of the closet.
Jiae made an appearance in an episode of the TV show “Attack On Sisters”, where she confessed, “I just want to live a normal life now. I love both men and women. I came out as a bi. Following that, there were too many articles about me that were published.”
During the session, Jiae also talked about the reason she decided to come out. She said, “Before I turned 25, I dated several men, but all the relationships did not last over three months, I wondered if this was love. When I thought I was someone who couldn’t love, I ended up meeting a woman and haven’t look back since our first date.”
The “Nom Nom Nom” singer went on, “I watched a LGBTQ movie after meeting my first partner and there were so many bad comments in the review section. That’s why I posted it out of anger. I received about 3,000 DMs. There were a lot of crude jokes and curses, saying I’m ruining the country.”
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Jiae also revealed that she encountered many setbacks as a bisexual. She said, “My ex asked me, ‘Can’t you just say you’re a lesbian? Are you going to open your heart to men?’ I’m bisexual, then why should I call myself a lesbian? A bisexual can marry a man at any time. I’m thinking of dating a woman but marrying a man. However, I’m also thinking of living with my girlfriend. People of the same sex can’t get married.”
The Korean celeb also confessed that she doesn’t feel accepted by the LGBTQ community. According to her, “If I were a normal person, I think things would have been easier for me. After I stopped being an idol, there were still job offers coming in but I turned them down for fear of being scammed.” Jiae also shared that coming out is the hardest thing because it affected her work. She shared, “I really wanted to appear on entertainment shows, but I was too afraid to take a leap of faith. Now, I’m mustering all my courage to say yes to new opportunities for the first time.”
So where did this newfound courage come from? Jiae responded, “I keep saying that I’m bisexual, but I’m a coward who cannot disclose that in public. I thought of opening a YouTube channel and want to post something about bisexual relationships, but what if people at work see it? I’m working as a vocal trainer, but I feel like I’m being fooled. I used to be very confident. That said, my confidence falters every now and then.”
When asked about her family’s reactions, the “Love Is Love” singer confessed, “My mother told me to date a guy. When we were on a drive, I said I couldn’t date a guy and she understood me.” She added, “I talked to an acquaintance who is a devout Christian, but that person said, ‘In my world, I can’t understand you.” Jiae also said that she received lots of malicious comments. “At that time, I think I wanted to be understood but to no avail,” the former girl group member was quoted as saying.
After Jiae aired her concerns, MC Park Mi Sun responded, “I’m from an older generation and also a Christian. I hope you can be a little stronger. Nowadays, the world is not divided into only men and women. I was confused and I think people of our generation should be given time to accept things like that. Therefore, you have to stay strong.”
Just hang in there, Jiae. We hope things will get better for you eventually. ♥
Source: KBIZoom.
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