As a young Christian boy, he was conflicted over his sexuality and wondered if it meant he was beyond redemption and damned to hell. The story he tells of his early life as a gay teen is, sadly, all too familiar.
Lil Nas X publicly came out as queer in 2019. His breakthrough hit “Old Town Road,” received as a crossover between country and rap, unleashed the specter of racism within the institutions of country music. Montero Lamar Hill, known artistically as Lil Nas X, is no stranger to disrupting restrictive categories. Despite the temptation to interpret the video as a flashpoint in culture wars between religious conservatives and the LGBTQ community, “Montero” is, I believe, best understood by comparing it with other creative works by demonized peoples that critique, mock and reject societal misconceptions about what is truly evil.
