Culture

Lil Nas X’s pregnancy stunt is actually raising money for important human rights causes

Lil Nas X poses as part of his fake pregnancy shoot by a swimming pool

Lil Nas X did a fake pregnancy photoshoot. (Twitter)

Lil Nas X has proven once again that he has a heart of gold after he shared details of a “baby registry” that turned out to be a massive charity fundraiser.

The “Industry Baby” singer and rapper is set to release his debut album Montero on 17 September, and he’s been teasing the record with a series of “pregnancy” shots on social media.

Writing on Twitter on 2 September, Lil Nas X teased: “SURPRISE! I can’t believe I’m finally announcing this. My little bundle of joy Montero is due September 17, 2021.” The post came with a series of photographs taking off the typical celebrity pregnancy announcement.

On Tuesday (7 September), Lil Nas X announced that he and his team had set up a “baby registry” raising funds for LGBT+ and human rights organisations.

The “Old Town Road” star linked fans to his “welcome to Montero” website, which shows a picture of a pregnant Lil Nas X at the top of the page.

Below, the hugely-popular singer lists each of the 15 tracks on his debut album, and each song features a link to a charity’s website.

Lil Nas X is fundraising for trans rights groups and HIV advocacy organisations

Some of the charities Lil Nas X is fundraising for include the Trans Inclusive Group, an African-American led organisation based in South Florida that provides safe spaces for trans and gender non-conforming people.

He is also raising funds for The Bail Project, a group that works to “end cash bail”, describing it as “one of the key drivers of mass incarceration and structural racism in the US criminal legal system”.

Other groups that are part of the fundraiser includes a HIV advocacy organisation and a youth homelessness group.

Fans were overwhelmed by Lil Nas X’s kindness, and many rushed to donate as much money as they could to the singer’s list of good causes.

Many fans just wanted to thank Lil Nas X for being there for the entire LGBT+ community.

Others took the opportunity to make some important points about Christian bigotry.

Lil Nas X’s charitable efforts come after he found himself embroiled in a row following his fake pregnancy announcement.

Schuyler Bailar, a trans swimmer, branded the stunt “transphobic”, suggesting that its humour relied on the shock factor of seeing a pregnant man. Writing on Instagram, Bailar pointed out that trans men “can and do” get pregnant “all the time”.

He also argued that Lil Nas X’s fake pregnancy stunt was “insensitive” given the recently passed abortion ban in Texas, which severely restricted abortion access in the state.

Bailar’s post sparked significant debate on social media – some agreed, while others argued that Nas wasn’t being transphobic, and pointed out that other, white cis men had pulled similar stunts without attracting criticism. Many trans men said that they felt seen by the images, and were here for the “gender f**kery”.

https://twitter.com/incommensurati/status/1434218483986882562

Lil Nas X’s latest initiative comes after a busy few months for the star. Earlier this year, he sent fans into a frenzy with his song “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”, which was released alongside a music video that showed him sliding down a pole to hell where he gave Satan a lap dance.

Needless to say, the music video didn’t go down particularly well with Christians and conservatives. In fact, it positioned him as public enemy number one for some Americans – and they haven’t stopped making their views known ever since.

But Lil Nas X remains unbothered – he has instead focused on his music, blowing fans away time after time with his extraordinary songs.

His debut album Montero, featuring Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat, is released on 17 September.

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