Ateez is a Okay-pop band that has been lively since 2018. (Getty)
The members of Ateez, a South Korean boy band, have not too long ago been inundated with racist and homophobic feedback on Instagram.
Following profitable Coachella performances and an invite to attend a recreation at Dodgers Stadium, the official Instagram web page of the Okay-pop group posted pictures of 4 of its members – Yunho, Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Jongho – on the baseball recreation, solely to be met with horrendous remarks.
A number of feedback beneath the posts included racist and homophobic language in direction of the members, calling them “homosexual”, derogatorily referring to them as “women” – regardless of the very fact they’re cisgender males – and commenting on how they appear related in addition to calling them “Chinese language” despite the fact that they’re South Korean.
A lot of Ateez’s followers tried to fight the hate and negativity by writing optimistic and supportive feedback beneath the pictures, as did others who weren’t aware of the band, however have been shocked by the response.
One particular person wrote: “I don’t know this Okay-pop boy band, however the racism within the remark part exhibits the ignorance and insecurity of ppl hiding behind (keyboards).”
Ateez have usually been supportive of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. One member of the group, Wooyoung, as soon as instructed a male fan that he shouldn’t surrender on his male crush whereas one other member, Yunho, instructed a fan that “love is love” and that it “doesn’t matter with who it’s with”.
One other member as soon as spoke at a fan occasion saying that Ateez’s LGBTQ+ followers are his “inspiration” after one such fan mentioned that they “really feel secure, impressed, and legitimate whereas listening to your music”.
On social media, the members repeatedly use rainbow emojis and have posted pictures with rainbow make-up and hair colors throughout Satisfaction month.
Whereas not one of the members have ever explicitly opened up about LGBTQ+ rights in South Korea, the place same-sex marriage is just not authorized, there is no such thing as a authorized recognition of same-sex relationships and same-sex {couples} don’t have any authorized proper to undertake youngsters – it does appear that Ateez are strongly in assist of their LGBTQ+ followers and provide them assist and validation.
Ateez, who’ve been lively since 2018, have launched ten EPs, two studio albums, and one single album in Korean in addition to two single albums, three EPs, and two studio albums in Japanese.