Roughly two years after coming out gay,
singer-songwriter Lil Nas X says critics are right that he's pushing
an agenda.
Lil Nas X has released two singles from
his upcoming first studio album, titled Montero. In the video
for the album's title track, Lil Nas X gives Satan a lap dance. In
“Sun Goes Down,” Lil Nas X talks about how he struggled with his
sexuality in high school. He performed both songs during his May 22
Saturday Night Live debut, which Vice's i-D blog
described as “gay af.”
Lil Nas X was one of six black gay men
to be recognized at the Native Son Awards.
In his virtual acceptance speech, Lil
Nas X said that he was pushing an agenda.
"Thank you Native Son for this
amazing honor," Lil Nas X said. "I wrote a message for you
guys and here it is. Your commitment to amplifying and celebrating
black queer men is vital to our community and I'm humbled to be among
this year's honorees. When I came out two years ago, it was one of
the scariest moments of my life. I was afraid because I knew the
world was watching and all I ever saw for boys like me was judgment
and ridicule. But, it was because the world was watching that I knew
I had to stand in my truth.”
"Far too many of our youth are
struggling to find acceptance, " he continued. "We are
taught to hate ourselves for who we are, and we are punished for
living openly and proudly. I made the decision to be myself and open
doors for the rest of my life. Some people say I'm pushing an agenda
and I am – It's called liberation. There's no roadmap when you're
the first to break a barrier, and I hope that one day it's no longer
groundbreaking for queer artists to find mainstream success or win
major awards. Until that day comes, there is work to do and I will
continue to do my part."
In addition to thanking his friends,
family, and fans, Lil Nas X thanked his “haters.”
Native Son also honored Steven Canals,
co-creator of Pose; Alphonso David, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC); Darren Walker, president of the Ford
Foundation; Jonathan Capehart, host of The Sunday Show with
Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC; and Bill Carson, chairman of Otsuka
Pharmaceuticals.