Lil Nas X took the BET Awards red carpet by storm. The Old Town Road rapper stepped into the runway in not one, but two gender-fluid looks at the awards show on Sunday evening, and fans are going crazy.
The 22-year-old rapper arrived in a full scale, blue and white toile-print skirt with a matching corset, suspenders and jacket by designer Andrea Grossi. The look was featured in the designer’s debut collection, where Grossi explored themes and prints around Catholicism – the same theme that Lil Nas X touched on his latest single MONTERO (Call me By Your Name). According to Vogue, the first look Lil Nas X donned featured graphics that reflect Grossi’s feelings on politics and religion. He later posted a picture of him in the outfit on Instagram with the caption “doll.”
The rapper re-appeared on the carpet in a full body floral and lace suit by Richard Quinn from his 2021 fall collection. The flared pants, crystal embellishments and baroque-style florals allowed Lil Nas X to really make an Elton John-esque appearance.
Later on, Lil Nas X further stunned him fans as he took the stage with a golden ancient Egyptian theme, perfectly matched with his dress and dancers and stage. The rapper paid tribute to Michael Jackson’s hit song Remember the Time when he performed MONTERO at the awards show. What really stole the show, though, was sharing a passionate kiss with one of his male dancers at the end of the performance. BET described this as “a boundary-breaking gesture particularly fitting during Pride Month, when the gay community is encouraged to show solidarity for the community and to advance LGBTQ rights.”
MONTERO has been platinum and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April. Lil Nas X previously opened up about the release of the track to his fans, dedicating the song to his childhood self (birth name Montero Lamar Hill), “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 f— out of other people’s lives and stop dictating who they should be. Sending you love from the future.”
While not everyone is supportive of his actions, the rapper remains unbothered and unapologetic, taking time out of his day to clap back at haters on Twitter. Fans are taking it to social media platforms to praise and celebrate Lil Nas X, “On the last day of #pride 2021 @LilNasX got on the #BETAwards stage and kissed another guy. If you grew up Black and gay, you know how major this is.” Lil Nas X has been under scrutiny and criticism ever since coming out as gay on Twitter in 2019. One of the biggest controversials was when Lil Nas X tried to explain why he came out as gay, and then Kevin Hart interrupted him with a “so what?”
As Pride Month comes to an end, the pressure to highlight the importance of respecting someone’s decision in coming out (or not) is bigger than ever. In a viral Instagram post by feminist, “When someone comes out, it’s important to remind them that they’re loved, and that you don’t view them as a fundamentally different person because they’re queer. But it’s also important to acknowledge – and validate – the struggles they’ve endured while being in the closet, and the courage it took them to come out.” As Pride Month comes to an end, the pressure to highlight the importance of respecting someone’s decision in coming out (or not) is bigger than ever.
And Lil Nas X’s BET Awards kiss is without a doubt, a historical moment for the LGBT+ community.
