Lil Uzi Vert took advantage of a new feature on Instagram and changed the pronouns to “they/them”. Behind this, an outing as a non-binary person can be assumed. The change came shortly after International Non-Binary People’s Day on July 14 and has so far evoked mixed reactions on social media.
Lil Uzi Vert’s outing gets support on Twitter
On Instagram, users can now choose between four different pronouns to make their individually chosen affiliation visible. The term “they/them”, for which there is still no established equivalent in the German language, is usually used by people who locate themselves outside of the binary gender system, which only distinguishes between male and female. There is no official statement on the change from Lil Uzi Verts yet. However, Lil Uzi Vert has shown support for the LGBTQ+ community in the past, for example by wearing rainbow colors or making various statements about a preference for women’s clothing.
Lil Uzi Vert coming out as Non-binary was the most iconic thing to do, degrading every single one of homophobic fans
— ??????? (@Scannellxx) July 18, 2022
The campaign was mostly well received on Twitter. For example, one tweet said Lil Uzi Vert is the best non-binary rapper of all time. It’s important to note that not all people who use “they/them” as a pronoun also identify as non-binary.
What an insightful tweet! I surely hope the comments are respectful towards lil uzi’s decision to become non-binary https://t.co/0mR9DJ3PWV
— ??♀️REDEAD??♀️??♀️ (@redead_v2) July 17, 2022
Critics point to transphobic lines from 2019
Lil Uzi Vert’s public “outing” was also criticized by some users. For example, Lil Uzi Vert’s pending suspended sentence was pointed out as a result of a complaint filed by Brittany Byrd, Lil Uzi Vert’s ex-girlfriend. The charges in the 2021 case were domestic violence and threats with a firearm. Also, Lil Uzi Vert’s 2019 song “That’s a Rack” was mentioned. The song features the lines “I was checkin’ my DMs, found out she was a man / I can’t DM, never, ever again.” suggesting transphobic views. Until Lil Uzi Vert comments on the “outing” himself, speculation about the meaning of the action will likely continue.
lil uzi vert the first rapper to be non binary and transphobic
— Violet (@HSTSKaczynski) July 17, 2022
On a musical level, Lil Uzi Vert announced the release of a new EP entitled RED & WHITE. The record is said to be a foretaste of Lil Uzi Vert’s third studio album THE PINK TAPE. However, there is no exact release date for either project. Most recently, the song “Space Cadet” was shared via SoundCloud.