Lil Nas X is honoured with his own annual day in Atlanta

Lil Nas X fans, book your tickets for next year! October 20 has officially been declared as Lil Nas X day in Atlanta, Georgia.

On Wednesday (October 20), the Atlanta City Council presented the rapper with the award at private members club The Gathering Spot. Further, Atlanta’s openly gay mayoral candidate Antonio Brown handed Lil Nas a plaque and spoke about his contributions to music and the LGBTQ+ community. 

“He has made a considerable impact on the LGBTQ community by reshaping how society accepts LGBTQ artists within the music industry, and empowering others to break barriers and be more open, expressive, and personal through music and art,” stated Brown. “And Lil Nas X, I just wanna say you inspire me.”

He continued: “I'm running to be the mayor of Atlanta. I would be the first LGBTQ mayor in the history of the city. And you inspire me, allow me to believe I can do it. So thank you.” 

Afterwards, Lil Nas X stepped on stage to accept the award – giving a shout out to his hometown. “Thank you all for being here,” said the musician. “This is incredible.”

“I’m not gonna cry. Shout out to Atlanta. I know a lot of you probably didn’t know I’m from Atlanta. I’m from the A. But seriously, this is amazing. I would not imagine I would be here four years ago, when I was at my sister’s house, sleeping on the floor. This is incredible.”

Last month, Lil Nas X explained that he probably wouldn’t have come out as gay if it weren’t for the success of his 2019 breakthrough single “Old Town Road”.

“I don’t think I would have ever come out,” he said. “I honestly felt like it was kind of my duty. Especially if I wanted to move forward. And (with) what I was doing, because authenticity is very real, and I feel like people can see right through that. And that’s a part of me.”

Since then, the pop star has unapologetically embraced his queerness through writing LGBTQ-focused lyrics, serving extravagant costume looks, kissing men on live TV, and spotlighting Black male dancers and actors in explicit scenes in his music videos.

Currently, the artist has 11 songs charting off his debut album Montero, including “Industry Baby” at number two, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” at nine, and “That’s What I Want” at 10. His previous top 10 hits include “Panini” and “Old Town Road” – the longest-running number one in US chart history.

Watch Lil Nas X accept his award below.