Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Lil Nas X Apologizes After Backlash For Making Trans Joke With Photo Of Female Lookalike

Lil Nas X Apologizes After Backlash For Making Trans Joke With Photo Of Female Lookalike
Robert Smith/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

The rapper sparked debate among LGBTQ+ fans after making transitioning the punchline of a joke—and his apology only intensified things.

Lil Nas X has made a career out of being unapologetic—unapologetically queer, unapologetically Black, unapologetically libidinous, all sorts of things. But recently, the outspoken artist proved he's not above apologizing when he thinks it's actually warranted.

The rapper caused quite a stir earlier this week when a joke he made on Twitter offended some queer and trans people and allies. At first he was angered by the backlash and got into a heated back-and-forth with fellow twitizens attempting to take him to task.


But he later recanted and posted an apology, saying he felt he should have considered the valid reason for the pushback he was getting before jumping to anger.

Lil Nas X wrote:

"apologies to the trans community i def handled that situation with anger instead of considering why it was not cool. much love to you guys. sorry"

The flap began with a joke Lil Nas X made about a photo of a woman who looks quite a bit like his female doppelganger.

The tweet has since been deleted, but you can view a screenshot below.

@LilNasX/Twitter

The resemblance to Lil Nas X is undeniably uncanny, so he quipped "the surgery was a success" a reference to the gender reassignment and other surgical interventions some transgender people seek while transitioning.

That joke did not go over well at all with some trans people and allies.

When a trans woman pushed back on his joke, Lil Nas X responded angrily that "you can't be fu*king serious" and that he was just joking about how the woman in the photo looks so much like him.

This garnered more angry pushback from several people who questioned why Lil Nas X felt the need to bring transitioning and surgery into the conversation, to which he angrily responded, "because she has t-tties? Are you dense?"

The backlash included responses from the trans woman who first criticized the joke.

"Didn't need to bring up surgery to make a look alike joke," she tweeted at the rapper.

After Lil Nas X owned up to his misstep, some applauded him for apologizing.


But others insisted his apology was insufficient and disingenuous--which Lil Nas X did not take kindly to.

In response to one tweeter who called his apology fake and demanded he donate money to trans causes, Lil Nas X quote-tweeted responded, "Girl, eat my a--"--which of course sparked even more controversy.

But others pointed out that Lil Nas X has more than proven his trans-affirming bona fides, both in his statements and with his monetary donations and charity work for LGBTQ causes.

In the end, trans actress and model Isis King summed up the whole controversy for what it ultimately is--a distraction that provides cover for fascistic politicians leading an incredibly dangerous and successful movement against trans people that is terrorizing LGBTQ people and putting them in actual danger.

King tweeted:

"This fake outrage directed at Lil Nas X should instead be focused towards politicians, and law makers that are actually out here making a mockery of trans ppl."
"All of this press for Nas posting a picture of a girl that looks like him, are y’all for real? Stay focused, WTF."

Solid advice. Because mistakes aside, Lil Nas X isn't the enemy, and the actual anti-trans enemies keep winning battle after battle. Let's not help them win the war, too.

More from News/lgbtq

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less