When Madonna infamously kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV VMAs, it became an iconic pop culture moment for the years. Lil Nas X did the same while celebrating Pride month with his powerful performance at the BET awards last week. In an endeavor to continue living his truth, the Montero singer kissed his backup dancers before a televised audience.
Instead of celebrating the moment like everyone on the Internet has, Madonna decided to steal the spotlight away from him. The singer shared a photo collage of the two events from 2003 and Sunday night's BET awards, writing "#diditfirst" as a caption.
Internet Users Accuse Madonna Of Queerbaiting
Madonna may have done it first, but fans are reminding her that "white women kissing on a public platform" is hardly as revolutionary as "black queer men doing so".
Diet Prada, an iconic Instagram account and fashion watchdog group called out Madonna on her statement. "White cishet people have always been given the space to do whatever they please...including, but not limited to queerbaiting" they wrote.
In the comments section, thousands of users began referring to Madonna's 2003 stunt as queerbaiting; a marketing ploy used to purposely tease the possibility of being queer and not actually depict same-sex romance or LGBTQIA+ representation.
Some also referred to the singer as "the queen of queerbaiting" and trolled her for trying to stay relevant in these times.
A user wrote "Why does it even matter if she "did it first" bro Lil Nas X is black and gay that's gonna be more impactful and revolutionary than a straight white lady."
Another user explained that the difference between the two events is that what Madonna did "comes across as queerbaiting" and Lil Nas X on the contrary, "is embracing his TRUE self and inspiring many people of the LGBTQ community to be themselves unapologetically."
"queerbating for the male gaze is not equivalent" chimed in a third.
Madonna's fans also spoke out against her. "Huge Madonna fan but seeing that post from her….ugh. That sours my admiration."
"Lil nas x just wants to be himself, Madonna just wanted to be relevant again," added another.
The singer hasn't responded to the backlash yet, and Lil Nas X has not acknowledged her statement.