Lil Nas X comes out supporting boy seen in viral video of homophobic abuse by now arrested adults

Back in June, a video went viral of a 12-year-old boy named Tyler with the word ‘gay’ shaved into his head and a man thought to be his father abusing him physically.

This clearly hit a nerve with Lil Nas X who has said in a new interview ‘Growing up in the Atlanta area, I [saw] a lot of microaggressions towards homosexuality. [It was] little things like going into an IHOP and hearing one of your family members say, ‘Look at those faggots’ to two people eating or even just a small [statement like] ‘Boys don’t cry.’ Little shit like living in the hood, not being super into sports, and then having to go outside and pretend that I was.’

Tyler identifies as gay and since then three adults connected to him have been arrested and charged with first degree child abuse. Police in Atlanta said this of the arrest: ‘We’re very pleased with these arrests but we are pleased with feedback that we got from members of the community assisting in this and how quickly they were able to jump on it’

It’s hard to underestimate the power of Lil Nas X’s support and how visible he is. He is a role model to so many kids like Tyler who don’t see themselves anywhere in the media. They need to see that it gets better and when you still have fools like DaBaby out there mouthing off, Lil Nas X becomes even more vital.