Alert the stork! Lil Nas X is about to give birth. The arrival date for his debut album, Montero, is Friday, September 15. In keeping with the pregnancy theme, the marketing-savvy celebrity launched an online “baby registry” for his expected little one. The registry invites fans to donate to nonprofits that address HIV/AIDS in the South.

The registry—on WelcomeToMontero.com—lists a different nonprofit with each track on his upcoming album. With the exception of The Bail Project, a national group fighting to end cash bail, and the Cade Foundation, which supports families experiencing infertility, the nonprofits listed in the registry are part of Gilead Sciences’ COMPASS Initiative, which combats HIV/AIDS in the South.

Lil Nas X gave people living with HIV in the South a shout-out when he performed his recent hits “Industry Baby” and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” at Sunday’s Video Music Awards (VMAs). Featured in the performance was Madrequs Harris, the director of community investments at the Southern AIDS Coalition, who wore a black shirt with a coded HIV-related message.

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The LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD explained it via Instagram: “@lilnasx delivered a powerful performance at the #VMAs  and shined a spotlight on the stigma that fuels HIV, especially across the South. Mardrequs Harris from @southernaidscoalition wore the number 433,816 in red, representing the number of people living with HIV in the U.S. South.”

What’s more, Billy Porter, who starred in Broadway’s Kinky Boots and, more recently, in the HIV-themed TV series Pose and who publicly disclosed his status in May, introduced the rapper’s performance.

“When I was first coming up in this industry,” Porter told the VMA audience, “let me just say that people were not ready for all this Black boy joy. But children, it’s a new day, and I am so thankful to have witnessed it.”

Lil Nas took home the coveted VMA Moon Person trophy for video of the year for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” beginning his speech with “Thank you to the gay agenda.”

Watch Lil Nas’s performance at the VMAs below:

This isn’t Lil Nas X’s first time at the rodeo. He became world-famous with his smash country-rap single “Old Town Road,” one of the best-selling singles of all time, and he has shown a Madonna-like knack for garnering headlines.

And now he’s shining a light on nonprofits associated with Gilead Sciences’ COMPASS Initiative (the name stands for “COMmitment to Partnership in Addressing HIV/AIDS in Southern States”). Gilead manufactures several leading HIV medications.

The tweet above, by Gilead COMPASS Initiative, lists the nonprofits associated with the Lil Nas X’s baby registry. However, the Montero baby registry lists and describes a slightly different list; they include:

Transinclusive Group

Advocating and working collaboratively with community partners in efforts to “Build Trust and Relationships” within the transgender community; by ending discrimination, mistreatment and racial disparities in health care, employment, education and housing.

 

Ch-Pier

Creating a platform for rural communities to decrease the vicious cycle of health disparities through education, intervention and research.

 

Bros in Convo

Providing comprehensive, multicultural sexual health and wellness education and peer support that empowers, promotes and protects the healthy well-being of young men of color.

 

Compassionate Atlanta

A grassroots community-building nonprofit that seeks to raise awareness about the benefits of compassionate action throughout the Greater Atlanta area by teaching and encouraging people of every persuasion and walk of life to channel their concern for the well-being of others into tangible action.

 

Relationship Unleashed

Fighting inequality through comprehensive programming, including HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, mental health and holistic therapy. We strive to build productive relationships and partnerships and to make a positive impact with all of our pursuits.

 

Central Alabama Alliance Resource & Advocacy Center

Leading positive health change in Alabama and empowering communities through education, advocacy and service.

 

Central Alabama Alliance Resource & Advocacy Center

Leading positive health change in Alabama and empowering communities through education, advocacy and service.

 

OLTT

Somos una organización de base comunitaria, conformada por mujeres Trans para personas Trans (Transexuales, Transgénero e Intersex) y nuestrxs aliadxs, mantenemos nuestro enfoque de trabajo para la visibilidad y elegibilidad los derechos humanos y el bienestar de nuestra comunidad, mediante el empoderamiento, la organización comunitaria que permita fomentar una incidencia política en equidad e igualdad.
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We are a community-based organization, made up of Trans women for Trans people (Transsexuals, Transgender and Intersex) and our allies, our work approach is focused on the visibility and protection of human rights and the well-being of our community, through empowerment, community organization to promote advocacy in equity and equality.

 

Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference

Represents a cross-section of progressive African-American faith leaders and their congregations to build the capacity of faith leaders’ understanding of and engagement with the social determinants of health uniquely impacting African-American trans and queer communities and African American cisgender women in the Southern region of the United States (in partnership with historically Black institutions of higher education).

 

Arianna Center

Engages, empowers and lifts up the trans community of South Florida with a special emphasis on the most marginalized, including the Trans Latinx community, undocumented immigrants, people living with HIV and AIDS and those who have experienced incarceration.

 

Thrive SS

Working to improve health equity for Black gay men living with HIV through direct support, advocacy and building collective power.

 

What’s in the Mirror

What’s in the Mirror is a nonprofit organization and social movement that uses art and advocacy to end the stigma of mental health.

 

The Counter Narrative

An organization that works to build power among Black gay men and work in coalition and solidarity with all movements committed to social and racial justice.

 

The Normal Anomaly

This initiative centers Black, queer plus persons to overcome barriers and end stigma and problematic narratives in order to actualize a new normal and to see the forward mobility of Black queer plus communities.

 

Happy Hippie

The Happy Hippie Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by Miley Cyrus. Our mission is to rally young people to fight injustice facing homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable populations.

To learn more about HIV in the Southern United States, click the POZ hashtag #South, where you’ll find recent articles such as “Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2021,” “PrEP Programs Face Devastating Loss of Funding for HIV Prevention” and “Which U.S. Region Sees the Highest Rates of HIV Diagnoses and Death?”