Media & ArtsIs anyone else frustrated by Lil Nas X?

submitted by jim_steak from self.LGBDropTheT

I was excited when Lil Nas X came out because he seemed like a normal, likable guy who already had a song that was well liked by everyone, and I hoped that he could be an example for homophobic people - especially homophobic black people - that gay men are normal people like everyone else. Instead, immediately after coming out he shifted into being a hypersexual pervert whose last two music videos were about how gay men are the devil and how gay men like having gay prison sex.

I understand that this is "trolling" homophobes, but they don't see it that way, they see it as confirmation that all of the negative stereotypes about gay people are true. It just feels really tone deaf and self involved to me, and I think the people who are going to pay the price for this kind of "activism" are young gay men growing up in homophobic communities. Maybe I'm overreacting, but it really gets on my nerves when gay "representation" is just reaffirming homophobic stereotypes.

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[–]Retardation_station 25 insightful - 7 fun25 insightful - 6 fun26 insightful - 7 fun -  (13 children)

Unfortunately, the media and those that run it decide what "representation" you get. In their eyes, your opinion means dick.

Rather than getting pissed about Hollywood being full of the shittiest people on earth, I'd suggest unplugging. It's likely to only get worse and avoiding TV will give you more time for gay sex.

Just my 2 cents.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 15 insightful - 2 fun15 insightful - 1 fun16 insightful - 2 fun -  (8 children)

Well said. I hardly watch TV anymore. And I’m much happier for it.

[–][deleted] 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Same. I unplugged my TV during the 2016 US elections and Ive never regretted it.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I live with my parents, and they own a telly. I never use it, not since Game of Thrones had run its course. I’ve tried to get into it, but I just can’t find a TV programme I want to watch anymore. Every time the news comes on and I’m in the sittingroom I put headphones on to tune out, because I know it’s going to be propaganda and fear porn. I do have a telly in my room, hooked up to games consoles, but that’s the only reason for me to own a television. As soon as I get my own place, I’m not going to bother getting cable television, because it’s a waste of money. If I wanted to watch a football match, which I rarely do, I’d visit a friend's house or my parents.

[–][deleted] 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I actually do have cable installed for internet. However where I live there is an option to get only the internet turned on and its faster than if you got tv as well. But good on you for tuning out. Fear porn is a very accurate description of what the news is.

Edit: have you watched breaking bad? I loved that show. Brian cranson is an excellent actor. Just dont look into his politics. He's typical hollywood in that regard.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yes. All internet service providers in Ireland offer packages that include cable and packages that come without it, so I can save money and get the fasted broadband speeds possible if I have my own place. Some ISPs do force you to get a telephone connection with the internet, but it’s no big deal. I can do without a telephone, but telephones don’t shove fear and propaganda down your throat. Honestly, if I had to get a telephone, I’d get a modern cordless phone that I can use around the house and a traditional cordless phone in case there is a blackout.

[–]upcomingDaddygay af 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

If you enjoy reading one of the nice things about unplugging from modern drivel is that there is more cheap entertainment than you could possible ever consume in a lifetime from many non-shit eras, some in the not so distant past!

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Exactly. Problem is I haven’t read a book in years but I want to get back into it. I could start with getting a book that is small.

[–]Bright_paintingLoad, lesbian biologist 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

A tip, start with a small book that you know that you have enjoyed in the past, but don't remember much of. This way, you'll get a positive re-introduction to reading!

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thanks.

[–]DimDroog 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Media, pop culture, the entertainment industry is so got damn embedded in our lives.

I hate it!

[–]Retardation_station 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I feel that. I find it difficult to even have a conversation with people most of the time because they always bring it back to fucking game of thrones or whatever new marvel movie is out.

Can we just talk about literally anything else? It's just so fucking boring.

Dead serious had a chat with someone and when they inevitably asked about GOT I mentioned that I don't really follow the show and I intentionally avoid TV at almost any cost. Then they proceeded to give me the entire plot of the last season.

Nobody listens anymore. They just want to tell you what they think about Brand or Product.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

They want to consoom product.

[–]DimDroog 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

They can't talk about anything else,b/c they're shallow.

Fricking morons.

[–]hufflepuff-poet 22 insightful - 1 fun22 insightful - 0 fun23 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

It's such a thin line between embracing same-sex attraction and desire, being out and proud in a way that creates space for others to be proud of their same-sex attraction as well and perpetuating homophobic stereotypes that fuel negative perceptions of us in one's creative expression of their homosexuality.

I really like Lil Nas X's out and proudness but I see what your saying about him perpetuating those harmful ideas about gay men in his music. I kind of see it as a cringe adolescent/young adult journey of sexuality and self discovery. I definitely said and did some pretty cringe stuff on my coming out journey and played into some harmful stereotypes, I'm grateful to be a normal person and not a celebrity, constantly in the public eye.

[–]Rag3 13 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 0 fun14 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I kind of see it as a cringe adolescent/young adult journey of sexuality and self discovery.

I didn’t think of it this way. :)

[–]reluctant_commenter 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It's such a thin line between embracing same-sex attraction and desire, being out and proud in a way that creates space for others to be proud of their same-sex attraction as well and perpetuating homophobic stereotypes that fuel negative perceptions of us in one's creative expression of their homosexuality.

Completely agree! It's a lot of pressure to try to be open and honest about yourself, while refusing to let others shame you and internalize their harmful messages, while also being a good "ambassador" for your demographic. I think about that a lot. My behavior as a gay person will have far more of an impact on straight people around me than I might intend, because they don't know many gay people, as an example.

[–]motss-pb 17 insightful - 1 fun17 insightful - 0 fun18 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I think it's an example of how there are two main coping mechanisms of dealing with shame.

One way of dealing with shame is to stay quiet about it, keep your head down and hope that no one notices, and if anyone asks - deny, deny, deny. This is the closeted way of dealing with shame.

The second way is to own your shame. In situations where you cannot plausibly deny your shame, you have no choice but to embrace it. Rather than allow yourself to be judged and ridiculed by others, you will beat the bullies to the punch by making the joke yourself. If you control the joke, then they can only laugh with you, not at you.

When the shame we're talking about is internalized homophobia, we usually associate it with the first type of coping mechanism (i.e., the closet cases). But, I would argue that the obnoxious in-your-face gays that base their entire personality off of their sexuality are just as ashamed of their homosexuality as the closet cases. They just cope in a different way. It's as if they are in a constant struggle to try to justify their existence to the world, and so they overcompensate and turn themselves into homophobic stereotypes.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Well said. I’ve always got the feeling that these obnoxious in-your-face gays weren’t happy themselves either.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 15 insightful - 1 fun15 insightful - 0 fun16 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

For me, the real question is on whether Nil Nas X is being sincere when he engages in obnoxious behaviour in public, or whether he is being paid to behave like that. A lot of celebrities have no morals and just care about money. It’s no coincidence that a lot of famous people have been praised by the legacy establishment for behaving in such a manner.

Lil Nas X's behaviour definitely makes gay people look bad to normies who don’t know any gay people. Especially to Normies in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Central America. Sadly, you’re not supposed to point that out, or else you’ll get accused of having "internalised homophobia", whatever that means. The irony is that this behaviour fuels internalised homophobia in gay youths who do not want to be associated with this degeneracy. I’m not phased by being accused of having internalised homophobia because the term only applies to gay people who are against degeneracy or to gay people who don’t find pop divas or musicals entertaining. But we now live in a culture where it is easy to gaslight someone and spread lies about a person, therefore ruining that person's life. So now we have to make a choice: become an outcast in a liberal society and banned from gay spaces, or become an outcast in society and forced to pretend to be straight when the backlash occurs.

[–]Neo_Shadow_LurkerPronouns: I/Don't/Care 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

For me, the real question is on whether Nil Nas X is being sincere when he engages in obnoxious behaviour in public, or whether he is being paid to behave like that.

The answer is obvious.

I wouldn't be surprised if the has a handler who coaches him in the exact way he should act in pubilc.

Especially to Normies in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Central America.

They use this shit as anti-gay propaganda, and you know what? It's good anti-gay propaganda!

They aren't creating fictional gay boogeyman to do fearmongering with, nope! They're using actual gay people to do so.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The thing about propaganda is that it is based on truth, then they add lies upon lies onto the truth. Most gay people are not degenerate, but some of us are, and the western legacy media is propping the degenerates up as the face of the gay "community" because "it's progressive". While the media in less accepting countries prop these same degenerates up to justify not allowing gay people to be left alone.

[–]Neo_Shadow_LurkerPronouns: I/Don't/Care 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

Instead, immediately after coming out he shifted into being a hypersexual pervert whose last two music videos were about how gay men are the devil and how gay men like having gay prison sex.

He's just cashing in on what's profitable for on niche that he was thrown in by the media after he came out.

Unfortunately, it's still hard for gays and lesbians to make content for general audiences, because they'll always end up being marketed as 'queer creators' and not 'creators who happen to be gay/lesbian'.

Not only this shit ends up limiting their reach, but also the themes and tone of their content.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 16 insightful - 1 fun16 insightful - 0 fun17 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Now I know why so many GLB celebrities and athletes don’t come out until they retire or have been well established publicly. It’s not the fear of a possible homophobic backlash that keeps the, in the closet. They don’t want to be put into a box while their public images are still in development. They fear that they won’t get a say in how they are marketed, because we all know how the media convinces normies how they want gay people to be portrayed.

[–]boypower 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

No, it's the homophobia. For you to think it'd be anything else is ridiculous.

[–]reluctant_commenter 15 insightful - 1 fun15 insightful - 0 fun16 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Seriously? He just outlined a really good reason for why it would NOT be ridiculous for LGB celebrities to not want to come out, unrelated to the overt homophobia. I mean I think the homophobia is a big reason, and you could even argue that *avoiding being put in a box as "just another gay celebrity" is itself just a subset of the homophobia you're talking about, a less obvious type of homophobia. But that doesn't mean it's ridiculous to consider. Image cultivation is a big concern for all celebrities regardless of sexual orientation...

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Thanks.

[–]reluctant_commenter 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

No problem!

[–]Rag3 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

He gets on my nerves because of how gimmicky, flashy and trolly his videos are supposed to be. I’d hoped for better gay male representation but he got the same black, music-artist treatment of hyper sexualization.

[–]DiveBarDiva 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I don’t feel like the video he made was all that indistinguishable from a video that Megan Thee Stallion could have made. Or Cardi B or Nikki Minaj. Hip hop is a very sexual genre and a lot of modern music videos go for shock value. I understand why people aren’t happy with it but I do see precedent for lt in music. Janelle Monae has a song called “pynk” and she performed it in vagina pants. I understand that it’s not the same level as giving the devil a lap dance. And I 100% understand the message is sends to the normal people who see this as an affront to religion. Im just saying that I could easily see some female hiphop artists doing similar things if they had thought of doing it first

[–]JulienMayfair 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I've watched both those videos, and my reaction to both was that 1) It wasn't really very good art or music, and 2) The videos rely almost entirely on shock value to make them stand out from the crowd.

Like a lot of pop music these days, it's pretty sophomoric stuff.

[–]ArthnoldManacatsaman🇬🇧🌳🟦 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

sophomoric

Excellent choice of words there.

[–]chazzstrong 7 insightful - 4 fun7 insightful - 3 fun8 insightful - 4 fun -  (2 children)

I don't know who this is, and judging by that name I don't want to.

[–]Q-Continuum-kin 18 insightful - 9 fun18 insightful - 8 fun19 insightful - 9 fun -  (1 child)

Attractive gay black pop / country singer.

Pissed off Al'Queerida the other day on Twitter by equating being gay and liking dick.

[–]chazzstrong 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yeah, I looked him up and found out he is responsible for that Gods-awful 'Hometown Road' song that everyone was playing until I contemplated murder.

[–]Daddiescummies 7 insightful - 3 fun7 insightful - 2 fun8 insightful - 3 fun -  (7 children)

Nope. Gay people shouldn't be forced to assimilate to heterosexual norms of sexuality and joy.

Hail Satan! Breed my hole.

If the straights are upset, that's their problem.

[–]boypower 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

The thing is, it's not as if satanic imagery and aggressive sexuality and softporn hasn't existed in pop music performed by straight people since forever. Madonna has been doing this shit her entire career. But when a gay person does it..

[–]Horror-SwordfishI don't get how flairs work 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

To be fair, Madonna also got a lot of flak for all of the stunts that she pulled. She managed to pull through because she was constantly re-inventing herself and not making terrible music, but it's not like when Madonna was dancing around burning crosses or being aggressively sexual that the general public was praising her for it.

[–]emptiedriver 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Madonna got a lot of attention for it, ostensibly negative, but it made her career. Straight people since her have been trying to recreate that - the horrified public who actually looooove it and can't stop gasp looking !how could she! but by now it's all been done.

I don't really follow pop culture, but from what I can tell Lil Nas is just riding the same wave, and he's able to get attention again because it's something a little different - Now with GaySexTM... It's all just the shock value of marketing, and sex doesn't sell as well as it used to because it's available for free everywhere, so marketers are getting more and more inventive. They found a usable product.

[–]Neo_Shadow_LurkerPronouns: I/Don't/Care 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Nope. Gay people shouldn't be forced to assimilate to heterosexual norms of sexuality and joy.

This subject should be aproached with care and nuance: they are gay people who are feel pressured to blend in with the straights? Yes, but the other way around is also true.

Not every gay men wants to live the bachelor life, this doesn't make them more or less gay than the ones who do.

[–]Daddiescummies 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

So what you're saying is.... Gay people shouldn't be FORCED to assimilate to heterosexual norms.

[–]Neo_Shadow_LurkerPronouns: I/Don't/Care 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Yes, and they should also not be pressured to be hyper-sexual.

[–]Daddiescummies 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Which has nothing to do with Lil Nas X

[–]fuck_reddit 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Ditto for the SF Gay Men’s Choir. Like ok, y’all have straight people gargling your spit, but else where we have earned the respect of normal people and now you’re undermining it in a vain attempt to get 5 seconds of negative attention.

[–]emptiedriver 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I always thought of them as just doing christmas albums.. had no idea they were undermining that image.

After googling, do you mean this song about "converting children" to be tolerant? It seems pretty mild, meant to be a joke by using a trigger word but all it says is we'll make everyone accept homosexuality... - or was there something else?

[–]fuck_reddit 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

That’s it. I understand how it might be a joke, but posting a video online where you say “we’ll convert your children and you too, against your will” doesnt strike me as wise or funny… maybe if it was a performance for an audience, because then they’ve self-selected.

[–]boypower 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

He is not an example or an object, he is a human person, doing mainstream pop music no less. Several '' responsible, straight friendly, family friendly, pure cinnamon buns '' gay actors and musicians, popular and less popular ones, have existed for a long time and they'll get gaybashed and homophobic scrutiny regardless of how well they mold into the heteronormative world and the '' not in your face '' respectable gay role, and the same goes for us.

[–]Neo_Shadow_LurkerPronouns: I/Don't/Care 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I got your point, but one thing still needs to be said: homossexuality is political. It shouldn't be, but it is.

In the moment a man comes out as gay, their whole being is going to be measured up and taken as standard to judge all gay men. If a gay man acts like a sex pest, he'll be taken as an example of how 'the gays' are sex pests.

It's unfair? Yes.

It's dumb? Yes.

But it's true? Fucking yes.

Unfortunately, in our current society, gay people in general don't have the right to be individuals. Straight people have, but we don't.

Jeffrey Epstein, a straight men, was responsable for one of the biggest child trafficking networks in recent history, but do people bring in his sexuality when discussing this subject? No.

See how stupid this is?

[–]pacsatonifil 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

For a pop celebrity or mega star he seems normal. He is a gay man he can’t have the same video but with men? Like any rapper it’s naked women all over the place. His was toned down by comparison in my opinion