Since his arrival on the music scene in 2016, Lil Yachty has faced ridicule for his sing-song style and his red hair. The Atlanta-raised entertainer even had to deal with accusations that he was gay.
The way the 23-year-old southerner chooses to express himself has caused him to be in social media’s crosshairs more than once. Yachty is now defending another young man that decided to step outside the norm of his community.
According to reports, 17-year-old Trevor Wilkinson was given an in-school suspension for violating Clyde High School’s policy against male students wearing nail polish. The openly gay teenager then started a Change.org petition in order to point out what he sees as a “double standard” and hopefully have the rules changed. As of press time, that petition has over 322,000 signatures.
FIERCELY FIGHTING BACK: High school senior Trevor Wilkinson was suspended for wearing nail polish to school — now he is sparking a call for change.@ErielleReshef reports. https://t.co/HsEr9LVKlk pic.twitter.com/RukoN3V7Qx
— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 7, 2020
Lil Yachty was recently asked about the Texas school punishing Wilkinson. The Lil Boat 3 album creator told TMZ that he is currently working on his own line of unisex nail polish and defended all genders being able to color their fingernails.
“It’s 2020, about to be 2021. Why do we still have barriers? If someone wants to express themself in any type of way, as long as it’s not harming anyone or bringing anybody down, they should be allowed to do so,” said Yachty. “When I was in college, some people are just lightyears behind mentally.”
Lil Yachty (born Miles Parks McCollum) went on to say that he wants to speak with Wilkinson personally. The Quality Control Music representative added, “I do [want to reach out to Trevor Wilkinson] just for the simple fact of him being himself. You shouldn’t be punished or tormented for being you.”