For years, society has told LGBTQ people that our very existence would send us straight to hell. Evangelicals and bigots alike have often used religion to shame homosexuality and queerness as routes to total damnation. In a now-viral music video, 21-year old Black queer musician Lil Nas X has confronted them—brilliantly.
In “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X gives his own provocative spin on biblical references and condemnation as he navigates through the garden of Eden, slides down a stripper pole as he descends to hell, and gives the devil a seductive lap dance. To suggest the rapper, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, is playing with fire is an understatement. Lil Nas X co-directed the raunchy video and has spent his time on social media since its release trolling critics and doubling-down on his magnificent LGBTQ pride.
Since its release last Friday, the video has already garnered nearly 30 million views on YouTube, with its single climbing up the Spotify charts, and a “Satan Shoes” collaboration with the streetwear company MSCHF that has already sold out within minutes of its release.