Life

Taylor Swift’s on-stage shout-out to the queer community got political

This year, "we can't talk about Pride Month without talking about pain," Swift told fans.
By · Updated on June 9, 2023
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift Photo: Shutterstock

Taylor Swift’s heartfelt shout-out to the queer community on Friday in Chicago touched her hardcore queer fans. And it meant even more to them when she urged Swifties to get involved in politics to help the future become more LGBTQ+ friendly.

After singing her hit “You Need To Calm Down,” Swift addressed the queer community directly, saying she wished “that every place was safe and beautiful for people in the LGBTQ community.” But, she noted the slew of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation sweeping through the nation, backed by right-wing politicians.

Related:

Senators repeatedly quoted Taylor Swift lyrics during hearing & fans can’t handle it

The word “cringe” has never been so useful.

This year, she pointed out, “We can’t talk about Pride without talking about pain.”

“Right now and in recent years, there have been so many harmful pieces of legislation that have put people in the LGBTQ and queer community at risk,” she said. “It’s painful for everyone. Every ally, every loved one, every person in these communities.”

“That’s why I’m always posting, ‘This is when the midterms are’ and ‘This is when these important key primaries are’,” she continued before urging fans to ask themselves about their preferred candidates, “‘Are they advocates? Are they allies? Are they protectors of equality? Do I want to vote for them?’”

Swift’s home state of Tennessee has been at the forefront of the nationwide attacks on the queer community. Gov. Bill Lee (R) has signed seven bills into law that actively discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.

One of them has already been ruled unconstitutional by a judge that former President Donald Trump (R) appointed to office. Trump and congressional Republicans tried to stack the judiciary with far-right judges who would oppose LGBTQ+ rights, but the state’s ban on drag performances clearly violated the First Amendment according to the judge.

“The Tennessee General Assembly can certainly use its mandate to pass laws that their communities demand,” U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker wrote in his ruling. “But that mandate as to speech is limited by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which commands that laws infringing on the Freedom of Speech must be narrow and well-defined. The (Adult Entertainment Act) AEA is neither.”

In 2019, the pop icon revealed what inspired her support for LGBTQ+ rights, from putting out a video that denounced anti-LGBTQ protestors and showed a same-sex marriage to calling out an anti-LGBTQ Republican to making a large donation to the Tennessee Equality Project.

She admitted that she had felt overly fearful of making a mistake while advocating for a community that she was not a part of. However, she said she felt she had not made her position “clear enough or loud enough” for fans to know where she stood on LGBTQ+ equality. Now her fans can have no doubt.

@joshhelfgott

♬ original sound – Josh Helfgott
Life
anti-LGBTQ legislation anti-LGBTQ politicians Good News Taylor Swift

Several cities celebrated Pride over the weekend. Here’s what it looked like

Previous article

Nikki Haley says trans athletes are making teen girls suicidal

Next article

More in Life