Lil Nas X Inspired His Brother Tramon Hill To Come Out As Bisexual
When Lil Nas X first hit the scene in 2019 with his verifiable bop, Old Town Road, nobody could have predicted his impact on culture. Yet, four years on, Nas is one of our favourite culture-defining, queer and proud artists to write about.
In his new documentary, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero, Nas’ brother Tramon Hill reveals that it was his brother’s bravery and influence that helped him to feel comfortable to come out as bisexual.
Queering the industry
Lil Nas X has had a tumultuous career defined by his contentious discography and refusal to feel any shame about his LGBTQIA+ identity. Rap as a genre has been known to foster homophobia and Nas’ coming out has been instrumental in redefining what a rap artist has to look like.
In Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero, a crew follows Nas during his 2022 Long Live Montero tour to document the star and his complex navigation of fame while being openly queer. The documentary touches on many salient notes about what it means to have a star as big as Nas in the spotlight, an openly queer and unashamed star.
In the film, Tramon Hill is interviewed and reveals how important his brother’s influence has been on him. “My brother really opened doors for a lot of people. Yeah, he opened a door for me,” he says. “What I mean by that, like, I’m not gay, though, you feel me? I’m bisexual. He helped me be real with myself. My brother made me more open to it”
One can’t minimise the impact having a pop-star like Lil Nas X has on LGBTQIA+ culture. It comes down to representation and, if we’re taking anything from Hill’s interview, it’s that positive visibility helps foster healthy environments where people feel they have a safe space to come out.
