Homophobic trolls have constantly been attempting to take down out rapper Lil Nas X, who rose to prominence in the music industry with the chart-topping single, "Old Town Road."
During that time, the rapper and singer became the first artist to come out as gay while having a number one record.
When the rapper showed up at the Video Music Awards (VMAs) wearing a lavender dress in Brooklyn last month, the haters saw an opportunity to lambaste him on social media.
An example of this is a Twitter account dedicated to spreading a meme online comparing rappers of yesterday to those of today.
The tweeted image is of two juxtaposed photos, one of the late rap legend 2Pac in a white suit as a "Rappers Then," next to another of Lil Nas X as he appeared at the VMAs in his gender-bending look.
@YassoArt2/Twitter
The account made several attempts to get the meme circulating online by posting it repeatedly.
It eventually found its way to the LGBTQ Nation Heroes Award nominee, but instead of responding to it with indignation, Lil Nas X wrote:
"Can y'all please stop spreading this!"
But it wasn't a final directive.
He posted an updated version of the meme with a photo of him in a slightly different pose and tweeted:
"Spread this one instead, it's a much better angle."
Here is the rapper's preferred look.
@LilNasX/Twitter
Fans were here for his clap back.
Fans also reminded haters this was hardly a trailblazing red carpet look.
They pointed to the flamboyantly glamorous looks of fashion icon and androgynous rocker legend, Prince, as an example.
Some even unearthed the infamous bathtub photo taken by famed photographer David Lachapelle to prove 2Pac was no stranger to provocative looks.
This Twitter user suggested we dispense with the stigma of non-conforming gender looks in general.
And another user suggested Lil Nas use a photo from his appearance at 2019's Variety Hitmaker Brunch where he was decked out in all blazing orange.
Even the artist gave his stamp of approval as a good alternative.
When it comes to mocking Lil Nas X, the rapper proved haters are no match for his fabulous wit.
@JamesTate121/X
