Lil Nas X’s new single is a masterclass in using creativity as a tool for social critique. The music video for “MONTERO (Call Me By your Name)” depicts X enjoying a steamy hook-up in the Garden of Eve before being persecuted for his homosexuality. X fights back by sliding down the stripper pole to hell where he gives Satan a lap dance, kills him, and takes his crown.
We already know Lil Nas X is the king of internet promotion, and now he’s using his skillset to inspire a cultural dialogue. This video marks a new thematic chapter in X’s career, and its viral success is a clear sign he is much more than a one hit wonder.
In an interview with Anthony Fantano, X describes his frustration with feeling like he could only be accepted in the music industry as a gay Black man if he remained within certain boundaries of “respectable” self-expression and displayed gratitude for being tolerated.
But now, X is over repressing his identity in order to remain widely palatable. Using the video, X elicited a culture-war freak-out by targeting the same conservative Christians who blasted “Old Town Road” two summers ago.
The response has been intense, but not surprising. From prayers for his lost soul to boycotts, the Christian right has declared this moment a leap towards the disintegration of our society.
Conservatives have been crying wolf about “the apocalyptic dangers of straying from God” and “the poor impressionable children” for quite awhile now. But even by their standards, the outrage towards the video is hypocritical. By going to hell, X is just acting out what he’s been told lies ahead for him!
What threatens the Christian right most isn’t a vengeful God, it’s losing power, and few things signal that more clearly than a chart-topping gay Black man proudly showcasing his raunchy side.
X argues that the real harm isn’t coming from people fighting to simply be themselves, but those who use fear as a control tactic. In this pursuit, X follows a rich lineage of artists such as the Culture Club, whose 1982 music video for “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” deals with similar themes.
Over the years, Lil Nas X has suffered due to judgement of his sexuality. Like so many other gay youth throughout the world, X’s coming out was frowned upon by his Christian parents.
After realizing that catering to everyone was a pointless goal, X was able to begin embracing his full self in his songwriting, as well as his role as a voice for young LGBTQ+ people suffering from Christian guilt.
As a message to his fans about being comfortable in one’s own skin, Lil Nas X published a letter to his younger self:
“Dear 14-year-old Montero, I wrote a song with our name in it. It’s about a guy I met last summer. I know we promised to never come out publicly, I know we promised to never be ‘that’ type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist. You see this is very scary for me, people will be angry, they will say I’m pushing an agenda. But the truth is, I am. The agenda to make people stay the fuck out of other people’s lives and stop dictating who they should be. Sending you love from the future. — LNX.”
X’s goal isn’t to change anyone’s mind, it’s to embrace his religious critic’s accusations in order to diminish them. The video is a triumphant reclamation of dignity and self-worth. By wholeheartedly embracing the “evil gay” Christian narrative, X highlights it’s absurdity and offers a beacon of hope to his young LGBTQ+ fans.
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