If your child loves the song Old Town Road (and who doesn't?) by Lil Nas X, then this is an incredible teaching moment for all children going through difficult times, no matter who they are.
Recently, the singer, 21, opened up about what the reasons were behind him not wanting people to think he was associated with a Nicki Minaj fan account. He ended up explaining that he didn’t want people to know he was gay.
According to The Independent, the whole conversation happened on Twitter, and the fact that he dug deep and shared his fears with the world is admirable.
It all started when he reached out to none other than Nicki Minaj herself. He asked to see if she would like to collaborate with him on an upcoming song.
“I have this song I want you on and was wondering… ” he tweeted alongside a meme that said, “I am proposing.”
As soon as he tweeted, fans started swooping in with questions, most were in reference to the Nicki Minaj fan account that Lil Nas X has denied he had ties to the year before.
“How come you never claimed her when people asked if you were a barb? We all knew who you were,” one fan wrote.
His response was a very open, "I didn't want people to know I was gay tbh."
Then another follower swooped in saying, "being a Barb doesn't make you gay.”
“It don’t but people will assume if you had an entire fan page dedicated to Nicki you are gay,” Lil Nas X responded. “And the rap/music industry ain’t exactly built or accepting of gay men yet.”
To make it clear, "barb," according to Urban Dictionary refers to Nicki Minaj's fans, whom she calls "Barbies." In the past, Lil Nas X has shared that the reports that his connection to the Nicki Minaj account were "disappointing."
"It's like a big misunderstanding and it's not one that I even want to give the time, because I'm never putting someone as the face of my career," he told NPR. "So I don't even speak on it. I just don't even acknowledge it, really. I know even more things are being made up and they're gonna be out there. It is disappointing when a big blog will post something without me talking about it but, I mean, it happens."
The fact that he finally spoke up and shared his truth is not only inspiring but prompted Nicki Minaj to respond to his tweet.
“It was a bit of a sting when you denied being a barb, but I understand. Congratulations on building up your confidence to speak your truth.”
His response was a sweet one.
“The generous queen, I love you. And I'm sorry I did that in a time where you were already getting so much bandwagon hate. I felt so bad, hoping you wouldn't see my denial. I was just so afraid of people finding out about me and losing everything before I even got a chance."
The fear that Lil Nas X had about people finding out he is gay is similar to so many different fears that children face on a daily basis. Whether they are afraid to tell people that they love who they are as gay or are afraid about another issue they are currently facing. He is truly an inspiration of bravery.