Religious Visual Symbolism and Queer Identity Negotiation in Lil Nas X's "J Christ" Music Video

Queer identity negotiation in popular culture remains understudied in relation to religious symbolism, and no previous research has examined how “J Christ” by Lil Nas X (2024) integrates semiotic strategies to reshape theological meaning. This study examines how key religious symbols such as the crown of thorns, the white robe, and queer angelic figures operate as visual mechanisms for negotiating queer identity within Christian contexts. Using Roland Barthes’s visual semiotics, Peircean sign theory, and queer negotiation frameworks, the analysis focuses on timestamped scenes in the 2 minute and 52 second video. The findings reveal that the video employs visual reinterpretation to contest restrictive interpretations of Christian tradition and to construct alternative expressions of queer spirituality. These insights advance theological and visual culture studies by demonstrating that contemporary pop media functions as a collective site of queer identity reclamation and as a critical arena for reimagining spiritual belonging amid cultural polarization.