Lil Nas X holding a “Battyboy” magazine. Image: @LilNasX / Twitter
Lil Nas X was apparently “not gay” in high school
If Lil Nas X was not out in high school I completely get it. Navigating that place as a minority is not a walk in the park.
Lil Nas X holding a “Battyboy” magazine. Image: @LilNasX / Twitter
American rapper Lil Nas X has broken many glass ceilings in the music industry since bursting into the scene with his chart-topping single Old Town Road. Nas has not only been able to penetrate the highly heteronormative music industry, but he has become an LGBTIQ+ icon.
The rumour about Lil Nas X
So it’s pretty shocking to most of us when we hear rumours of him not being gay. In case you missed it, model Woah Vicky recently accused Lil Nas X of faking being gay to gain popularity and make more money.
She claimed that she has friends that went to high school with Nas X, and according to them, he was never gay.
The truth is heterosexual people will never fully comprehend how difficult it is for gay individuals to accept and step into their truth. High school is one of the hardest spaces to deal with as LGBTIQ+ people. From as early as primary school we face bullying, discrimination, and stigmatisation, not only from our peers but from authority figures as well.
Coming out is a personal choice
So what if Lil Nas X presented himself as straight during his schooling career? Most gay people I know had to do the same thing to protect themselves from being outcasts and turned into objects of ridicule.
And let’s not forget that coming out is a personal choice. A choice that is dependent on you and where you are in your journey of self-discovery.
Vicky’s claim that Nas is pretending to be gay to be more famous is hilarious. There are many brilliant queer musicians out there that are still struggling to make ends meet because their music is not selling, and not because it’s not good enough but because they are LGBTIQ+.
Myth or not but the popular opinion is that record labels would rather a gay man start his career misleading people into thinking that he is straight to sell more records and appeal to a wider audience.
Lil Nas X the clap-back king
Lil Nas X is very outspoken, and that’s one of the things his fans love about him. Although sometimes his comments get him into hot water, most of the time he is leading the charge as a groundbreaking LGBTIQ+ icon. So, it’s fitting that he responded with a spicy clap-back that reads, “Who gives af what ja rule thinks at a time like this.”
What I can never and will never understand is why is Jesus’s name always dragged into these prejudiced agendas? Honestly, the man preached about love, and you are out here embroiling him in your homophobia. Leave him out of your mess, please!
