Chappell Roan says she didn’t read pro-Palestine poems out of fear Joe Biden would hurt her family

Chappell Roan is on the cover of the October issue of Rolling Stone, and in the accompanying profile, the out pop phenomenon opened up about her feelings about U.S. politics and the presidential election, while also further clarifying why she declined an invitation to perform at the White House for Pride this summer.

Roan first mentioned the Biden administration’s invitation in June during her performance at the Governors Ball festival in New York City. “As a response to the White House, who asked me to perform for Pride, we want liberty, justice, and freedom for all,” Roan told the crowd during her June 9 set. “When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”

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Out pop singer Chappell Roan criticizes Joe Biden for not supporting “liberty, justice & freedom”

Her comments drew backlash from liberals and support from her fans.

The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer’s representative later confirmed to Variety that the White House had reached out to Roan via her management.

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Roan told Rolling Stone that she had initially considered accepting the invitation and using the appearance as an opportunity to protest the U.S. government’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza. “I had picked out some poems from Palestinian women,” she told the magazine. “I was trying to do it as tastefully as I could because all I wanted to do was yell. I had to find something that’s tasteful and to the point and meaningful, and not make it about me and how I feel.”

However, the singer said that her publicist convinced her it wasn’t a good idea, telling her, “You f**k with the president and the government, your security is not the same, and neither is your family’s.”

Roan, of course, has made headlines for her fierce protection of her own and her family’s privacy in the wake of her meteoric rise to fame.

The “Pink Pony Club” singer added that she was baffled that some fans misinterpreted her comments as indicating support for Donald Trump and Republicans, according to Rolling Stone.

“It is not so black and white that you hate one and you like the other,” Roan said. “No matter how you say it, people are still going to be pissed for f**king some reason.”

“I’m not going to go to the White House because I am not going to be a monkey for Pride,” she added. “And thank God I didn’t go because they just made a huge statement about trans kids a couple weeks ago.”

Roan was likely referring to comments made by Biden administration spokespersons to The New York Times and Fox News in June, stating that the administration opposes gender-affirming surgeries for minors, which are exceptionally rare. In July, a White House spokesperson clarified the administration’s position in a statement to The 19th.

“These are deeply personal decisions and we believe these surgeries should be limited to adults,” the spokesperson said. “We continue to support gender-affirming care for minors, which represents a continuum of care, and respect the role of parents, families, and doctors in these decisions.” 

In the same statement, the White House spokesperson reiterated the administration’s opposition to Republican-backed laws banning gender-affirming care for young people, quoting a statement President Joe Biden made in June 2023. “As President Biden has repeatedly said, ‘It’s wrong that extreme officials are pushing hateful bills targeting transgender children, terrifying families, and criminalizing doctors. These are our kids. These are our neighbors. It’s cruel and it’s callous.’”

According to Rolling Stone, Roan expressed pessimism about U.S. politics in the magazine’s interview with her prior to Biden’s July 21 announcement that he would be dropping out of the presidential race. “I’m pretty ‘F**k the government, and f**k everything that’s going on right now,’” she said. “I don’t have a side because I hate both sides, and I’m so embarrassed about everything going on right now.”

But in a follow-up interview after Vice President Kamala Harris secured the Democratic nomination, Roan sounded a more hopeful note.

“Right now, it’s more important than ever to use your vote, and I will do whatever it takes to protect people’s civil rights, especially the LGBTQ+ community,” she said. “My ethics and values will always align with that, and that hasn’t changed with a different nominee. I feel lucky to be alive during an incredibly historical time period when a woman of color is a presidential nominee.”

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