Lil Nas X Planned to Die Without Ever Coming Out

Lil Nas X has had quite the career. Since his hit "Old Town Road," the star has won multiple awards, made history multiple times over, and performed all around the world. And as he was still on the rise, he decided to tell the world about his sexuality in a tweet. That was an admission he had previously prepared to never make, he recently revealed in an interview.

"The honest truth is, I planned to die with the secret," Nas X told The Guardian in a feature. "But that changed when I became Lil Nas X."

In the story, the rapper, who is currently working on his debut album, revealed that growing up he saw people suffer homophobia, and as a result he hid his sexuality. His early music reflected that inclded the same misogyny and toxicity that went along with that. But, the success of "Old Town Road" gave him a freedom that allowed him to push past that.

Since, the 20-year-old has embraced being queer wholeheartedly, and visibly so. His red carpet looks are always of the more eccentric options, sometimes causing criticism from some. But he knows he does this with a bit of privilege, which is why he doesn't doesn't tell his young fans to come out in his music.

"I don't want to encourage them to do something they don't 100% want to do," he said. "Especially in, like, middle school or high school. Because it's just super hard."

"It's easier for me," he continued. "I'm not depending on anybody. There's no one who's going to kick me out of the house - nobody to start treating me shitty."

And that's a very real reality. Though it would be nice for everyone to be able to be their full selves, for many, we rely on others for a variety of reasons. This reliance, particularly for youth, can complicate the issue as parents can disown their children, leading to youth homelessness and/or depression.

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