The only evil thing about “Montero” is the hypocrisy it exposes

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On Friday, pop star and internet gawd Lil Nas X dropped the music video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” the most devilish, dangerously queer vision of the Garden of Eden of all time. Try as you might, but nothing’s touching the sensational ballerina spin and inverted crucifix the 21-year-old artist hit before giving Satan himself a lap dance, spreading eagle on demon dick. The video quickly went viral — and as expected, offended quite a few viewers along the way, many of whom described LNX’s artistic expression as something between sacrilege and satanic. But it’s becoming increasingly obvious that the outrage is more about the messenger than the message.

Lil Nas X has dealt with homophobia ever since he came out in 2019 — which happened, not insignificantly, after his breakout song “Old Town Road” shattered Billboard’s record for longest consecutive run at №1. So it’s no surprise to see haters react to the “Montero” video, which also depicts the rapper kissing the devil and later snapping his neck. That sequence is a meaningful subversion of the deadly notion that queer people are influenced by Satan — or are demons themselves.