Written By: Coty J. Duby Peplinski
Although from first glance of his track record and public appearance, you may see Lil Nas X as just another music artist, another person to entertain the crowd or to gather publicity. It could be true, he could be all those things, but he is much more than that. He is very open about being gay and being a part of the LGBTQIA community, even though he does mention that in the past he has struggled with his identity and had even written a letter to himself on Twitter explaining some details about his past. At the age of 14, according to Nas, he promised himself that he would not be public with his sexual orientation and that he would, “die with the secret”. But he decided against that due to the reasoning that “it will open doors for many queer people to simply exist” according to his Twitter post in March 2021. And now at 21 years old, he has quickly paved the way and has made sure that it is known that he is in the community and that that is acceptable.
The mention of his age and the community he belongs to could really be an inspiration for today’s queer youth. He openly admits to knowing that he was a part of the community by at least the age of 14, which according to familyresourcesinc.org, 17% of [boys] in grade school knew they were apart of the community, 20% in junior high, and a mixture of males and females of 48% in high school; 11% of female presenting persons knew in grade school and 6% self-reported. The issue with this resource is that it excludes different genders, but it is a good example of how younger people can know at earlier ages (at least in this self-reported study) that they were apart of the community from a young age. These numbers could be a lot higher if more youth were comfortable coming forward about their sexuality, but we do live in a very heteronormative society, so this is a limitation and fear for youth and even adults to come out about who they are.
With pride month coming up in a few days, artists like Lil Nas X pave the way for youth to feel free to express who they are, in whatever way they are comfortable. Even if it just writing a letter to themselves, telling a friend, telling the world, whatever way works for them the best. He is not encouraging or pressuring anyone to come out, he is simply telling his story which may help to be an inspiration to today’s youth.
Aside from his appeal to the youth through the LGBTQIA community, he unapologetically is himself. I, myself, follow him on TikTok and he consistently posts just whatever he would like. There is no filter, and he reposts different fans interpreting and making videos to his songs. And he is a big influence to a diverse range of communities, specifically the black community. According to Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs’ review via Romper of Lil Nas X’s performance in his music video for MONTERO, she is quoted as saying, “As a black woman, I wanted to like this video and this song. But, as a mom of two impressionable children of color, I have to be honest. Here’s what I really think: I’m obsessed with it.” She goes on to say similar to what I have already mentioned that he is “unapologetically being himself”. He is a person who is not afraid to stand out as an individual, and all though his songs and how he presents himself may not be for everyone, it is apparent that he has a strong influence over the youth and youth in minorities. And Bernard-Jacobs’ puts it very well, his acceptance of himself, “shows the kids the incredible power of self-acceptance especially in the face of hate and racism”.
It can be said that although Lil Nas X is in the music industry and may be controversial, he has gone out of his way to be a role model for many and is unapologetically himself.
-CJ
Sources:
https://twitter.com/lilnasxmajor/status/1507736049170194434
https://familyresourcesinc.org/2021/05/at-what-age-do-kids-identify-as-gay/
https://www.romper.com/entertainment/lil-nas-x-monterro-video-role-model-kids