The second they step outside of that realm, they’re met with backlash. Queerness, in other words, is only accepted by society if queer people present themselves in a way that is “appropriate” according to heteronormative standards. “The newfound public recognition of gay people and relationships is contingent upon their acquiring a respectable social identity that is actually constituted by public performances of respectability and by privately queer practices,” he wrote in his 2012 study of this topic. This theoretical framework was introduced by Yuvraj Joshi, a fellow at the Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies. The concept of “respectable queerness” springs to mind. Kristi Noem used a bible quote to express her disapproval of the song and the “ Satan Shoes ” that were released alongside the video, Lil Nas X responded to her citing a particularly erotic line from his song.Īs I saw this situation unfold, I found myself wondering why Lil Nas X’s identity as a gay man was acceptable when his song “Old Town Road” was popular, but not when he conveyed that queer identity through his lyrics and music video. In a tweet by Right Wing Watch, Pastor Greg Locke said the video was a “bunch of devil-worshipping wicked nonsense.” Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham and Raymond Arroyo slammed the music video for its release right before Holy Week for Christians, calling it “outrageous.” With “Montero,” Lil Nas X took this hate back, creating the video with religious undertones and fearlessly “going to hell” himself.
![lil nas x gay tweets lil nas x gay tweets](https://cdn.abcotvs.com/dip/images/5373053_070119-wls-lil-nas-x-gay-6a-vid.jpg)
Telling people from the LGBTQ community that they’re “going to hell” is a well-known form of homophobia.
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Religion is too often used against people from the LGBTQ community to deny their right to their identities. The rap-infused country song remained popular among people from a variety of backgrounds, but now, conservatives are drawing the line, citing religion as their major issue. Billboard Hot 100 chart for a total of 19 weeks. In 2019, Lil Nas X faced some backlash when he came out as gay, but his song “Old Town Road” still topped the U.S.