Is Lil Nas X using his sexuality to sell records? 

The 21-year-old rapper released his now #1 hit song "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" last month and it seemed like the whole world was listening. X, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, has heralded the video for his artistic expression, allusions to the gay experience within Christianity, and his ability to be horny and hilarious at the same time. 

But there are, of course, the haters. 

The latest wave of homophobic listeners are claiming X is using his sexuality for clout, which is just hilarious when you think about it. 

X responded to the accusations. “Y’all love saying I’m being gay for success but can’t name five successful gay male artists in the last 10 years to save your life.”

The fear of being open about their sexuality has kept many musicians in the closet. Icons like Freddie Mercury to Luther Vandross have struggled publically and privately with the conversation, the potential shift in fan perception, and the fear that being openly LGBTQ+ would harm their careers.

Those concerns, though seemingly impossible to track, certainly still exist today. Many artists are still in the closet, or their teams pressure them to either keep it a secret or at least palatable. You can almost visualize Sam Smith's decline in popularity as they became more open about their sexuality and gender since their 2013 debut smash hit, "Stay With Me." Simply using pronouns of the gender you're attracted to can feel like a monumental feat. Just last year, The Aces talked about their nervousness to sing about girls in case it stalled their rise. 

Openly gay pop star Troye Sivan openly speculated how his identity impacts the trajectory of his music career in 2019. "Part of me wonders sometimes if I would be more commercially successful if I wasn’t gay or not as 'in your face gay,'" said the "Bloom" singer.

X has been even more in your face with his sexuality, flaunting it flirtatiously and even aligning it with biblical references that pissed off conservative Christians everywhere. "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" was a massive risk, but it seemingly paid off for X and will hopefully open doors for other LGBTQ artists to present themselves without fear. 

Some fans resented X asking people to list 5 gay artists, like there aren't some successful ones out there. “God you’re so sad, how do you not even realise you’re dissin all the gay artists that came before your ass?”

“I’m not dissing anyone," X replied. "I’m acknowledging the fact that we aren’t usually as successful as our peers. What’s not clicking?”

It's true. Is it outright homophobia from listeners that holds these artists back from climbing the charts, or are LGBTQ+ musicians not given the same chances in the industry because they aren't seen as marketable? 

It's hard to say, the demands of capitalism with individualistic expression often clash, but hopefully X is helping prove that our stories and songs can not only be successful, but a cultural phenomenon. 

Though even that's unfair. Straight people have a million mediocre songs on the radio, that are danced to at bars, and played at grocery stores while soccer moms pick out khakis for their kids. Heterosexual-focused music has the room to be mediocre, while LGBTQ+ songs have to be more than excellent in every way.

It's not fair, but it's the world we live in. If you're still bitter about hearing a song about gay sex on the radio, have that same energy when it comes to the thousands about heterosexual relations.

“It’s a million n***as in the industry that make nothing but songs about women and y’all don’t complain," X concluded in his tweet rant. "But I make my first song about a n***a and now it’s my entire artistry. Y’all crack me up man.”

The gays won this round, at least.