How XLOV’s Pride flag ban pulled the curtain on K-pop’s queer aesthetic
XLOV’s Pride flag ban exposes the tension between K-pop’s queer-coded aesthetics and its reluctance to embrace real queer visibility
XLOV
257 Entertainment
Words by Daniel Anderson
Earlier this month, in Warsaw, Poland, during the opening night of their first European tour, rookie K-pop group XLOV became the center of an unexpected controversy. When a fan tossed a rainbow Pride flag onto the stage, group member Rui bent down to pick it up but was stopped by security. Moments later, another group member waved a Polish flag—given to them from another audience member—without issue. The brief exchange spread quickly online, igniting debate. Within days, XLOV’s label, 257 Entertainment, announced that no flags of any kind would be permitted at future concerts in order to “maintain neutrality.” To many fans, particularly those from the LGBTQ+ community, that explanation said everything.
Four-member XLOV debuted in January with the single album I’mma Be. From the outset, the group was promoted as “genderless,” a sleek, androgynous concept meant to set them apart from other rookies. Their fandom, called EVOL (love spelled backward), grew quickly, especially among queer and trans fans who saw themselves reflected in the group’s fluid imagery. But that “genderless” label was conceptual, not personal—a brand strategy more than a statement of identity.
After that moment in Warsaw went viral, the tour’s local promoter, 5 Oceans Studio, released a statement on behalf of 257 Entertainment. It read, in part, “No flags will be displayed during concerts. This decision aims to create a neutral and welcoming space where every fan can feel equally represented and comfortable without being defined by a symbol.” The message, reposted to XLOV’s official Instagram, only intensified backlash. Fans called it “disgusting” and “cowardly,” accusing the label company of equating queer visibility with controversy.
XLOV’s leader, Wumuti, later addressed the issue onstage at their Berlin stop, telling fans he had spoken with the company. “No one can change who you are,” he said. “We always love to see you come here as you are and show us how proud you are.” He explained that the restriction stemmed from logistical concerns and local misunderstandings. “We can’t show any flags on stage because of what they may say if they’re custom,” he said. Wumuti also urged fans not to throw objects for safety reasons. While his remarks were met with some relief, many still questioned why the label’s initial response invoked “neutrality” instead of clarity or empathy.
To LGBTQ+ fans, the controversy exposed the limits of K-pop’s celebrated gender play—in which suggestion retreats before it becomes substance. Some accused the label of queerbaiting; others pointed to a broader pattern of agencies commodifying queer-coded imagery while refusing to affirm the communities that sustain it. In an interview with The Korea Times, 257 CEO Park Jae Yong clarified that the members “do not identify as genderless,” describing the concept as a marketing choice to “differentiate ourselves from other groups” and “express beauty without gender boundaries.”
The K-pop industry has long profited from this kind of ambiguity: boys in makeup, girls singing of same-sex desire, intimacy presented as an aesthetic rather than identity. I-DLE’s 2020 track “Oh My God” opens with the lines, “She took me to the sky / She showed me all the stars,” while MAMAMOO’s Wheein explores heartbreak between two women in her 2019 song “Good Bye,” its video depicting a woman mourning her relationship with another woman. These works are artistically valid and deeply meaningful for fans, but they also exist in a system in which idols are rarely permitted to speak plainly about queerness.
That’s partly why Pride flags have become so symbolic at K-pop concerts, especially in North America and Europe. When idols pick them up, drape them over their shoulders, or simply smile in acknowledgment, these gestures resonate far beyond the stage. Dreamcatcher’s Yoohyeon often lifts Pride flags from the crowd, waving them back at fans. Soloist Sunmi once tweeted, “Yeah, I support LGBT but don’t get me wrong guys.” And boy group OnlyOneOf went viral after helping a queer couple get engaged during one of their shows, a small but striking act of allyship within the strict confines of idol culture.
In recent years, a handful of idols have come out publicly. Bain from Just B announced he is gay during the group’s 2024 U.S. tour. Lara Raj and Megan Skiendiel of K-pop-adjacent act KATSEYE both shared that they are queer. These artists have become touchstones for fans who have long felt unseen, proving that authenticity and commercial success do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Moments like these matter because they show that queerness in K-pop is not hypothetical, it exists, embodied in real people. Yet the industry still treats it as a commodity. When labels build groups around ideas of fluidity or “genderlessness,” they borrow from queer aesthetics without embracing their substance. The result is a cultural mirage: idols who can appear queer-adjacent so long as it remains deniable. Ambiguity sells records; authenticity risks sponsors.
That tension lies at the center of XLOV’s reckoning. Fans are not only angry about a flag ban. They are angry because the ban revealed the limits of what their devotion was built on. A group that marketed itself as boundary breaking has, intentionally or not, reinforced the very boundaries it claimed to transcend.
As K-pop’s global reach expands, the industry will have to reconcile the difference between marketable inclusivity and meaningful acceptance. Queer fans are not props in a performance of progress, they are the backbone of the fandoms that keep the genre alive. They are also human beings. What fans are asking for is simple: the same respect and openness they’ve shown their idols.
Published on October 22, 2025
Words by Daniel Anderson
Daniel Anderson is a disabled Chinese American adoptee based in Seattle. His freelance writing specialties include K-pop, entertainment, and food. He believes that any restaurant can be a buffet, and the key to success is to take a nap each day. Follow his adventures on Instagram @danzstan.