'I know we promised to never be 'that' type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret,' he wrote. 'But this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist'. The rise of Lil Nas X is representative of an era where gay sex is taking up more space in music than ever. Other younger pop stars who have put their sexuality front and centre in their work recently include Olly Alexander, the former frontman and now sole member of British band Years & Years. He also subverted the homophobic association between homosexuality and sin in the lyrics and video of his 2018 single Sanctify, a song about sex with a man who is still in the closet. Australian pop star Troye Sivan's 2018 album Bloom featured numerous references to sex with men.
