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Lil Nas X Claps Back at Conservatives Calling 'Montero' 'Evil'
Lil Nas X Claps Back at Conservatives Calling 'Montero' 'Evil'
The gay artist, who released a queer music video with religious references, pointed out the actual evils of society.
Not everyone is loving Lil Nas X's "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)."
The fantastical music video -- which shows the artist queering religious iconography, including a pole dance descent to hell and a lap dance for Satan -- was hailed by many LGBTQ+ fans for its embrace of sexuality.
In a follow-up note on Instagram, Lil Nas X, who came out as gay in 2019, penned a note to his younger self (his birth name is Montero Lamar Hill) declaring that the video "will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist."
"I wrote a song with our name in it," he wrote in full. "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."
But predictably, just as the video was embraced by queer people of color, it sparked condemnation among many conservatives. Robby Starbuck, a video producer and director who's a Republican candidate for Congress from Tennessee, called the video "evil content" being peddled to children.
\u201cConservatives: "Hollywood is pushing out intentionally evil content to kids" \n\nHollywood: "LOL Conservatives are so crazy no we aren\u2019t, not at all"\n\nThen Hollywood does this:\n\nMany of these people are evil. I say this having directed a lot of these celebs.\u201d— Robby Starbuck (@Robby Starbuck) 1616773494
Lil Nas X had the last word, though, pointing out the actual "evil" happening in society as a result of right-wing obstinacy: "there is a mass shooting every week that our government does nothing to stop. me sliding down a cgi pole isn't what's destroying society."
\u201cthere is a mass shooting every week that our government does nothing to stop. me sliding down a cgi pole isn\u2019t what\u2019s destroying society.\u201d— i am reading all that (@i am reading all that) 1616779801
To drive home his point, Lil Nas X also retweeted a meme from Ben Yahr illustrating hypocrisy in right-wing outlets like Fox News.
\u201cFox News after Fox News after\na mass shooting after Lil Nas X\n fucks Satan\u201d— Ben Yahr (@Ben Yahr) 1616782833
