TAYLOR SWIFT’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY Grace Hasson
Vidisha Banerjee Taylor Swift wasn’t always the “You Need to Calm Down” LGBTQ+ ally she is now. Is she a wannabe gay icon? Maybe. Jumping on the Pride Capitalism train? Possibly. She was not vocal about politics in the past, but many people wonder if her support now makes up for that. After all, her support helps the community, especially for young members of the LGBTQ+ community who look up to her. For them, gaining her advocacy and approval may make them feel more secure. In addition, having a spokesperson with such an extensive influence helps to normalize the community and make acceptance practically “popular.” In the past, Swift wasn’t at all politically vocal. In an interview for the September issue of Vogue Magazine, she said that she changed her stance because she felt compelled to stand for the community. During the interview, she took a strong stance by saying, “Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn’t a straight white cisgender male.” She took it upon herself to take her massive influence into consideration, and she began with a huge donation. She donated $113,000 to a group called the Tennessee Equality Project. This group advocates for the equal rights of LGBTQ people in Tennessee through legislative advocacy, meaning they lobby the Tennessee General Assembly and local governments. Swift said in her essay for Elle titled “30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30” that “I had to speak up to try and help make change.” Swift’s donation to a specific group that actively advocates for legislative changes is a statement in of itself that she is serious about not just support, but actual change. Releasing “You Need to Calm Down” during Pride made it stream far more. This could easily be dismissed as a greedy tactic, so is Swift’s support genuine? In her interview with
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Vogue she discusses her realization that fans didn’t know of her support. She mentions that fellow singer Todrick Hall asked what she would do if she had a gay son. “If he was thinking that, I can’t imagine what my fans in the LGBTQ community might be thinking,” Swift admits. “It was kind of devastating to realise that I hadn’t been publicly clear about that.” She asserts that she was always in support, just didn’t make it clear. Swift is one of the biggest artists out there. What impact do celebrities like Swift have on the LGBTQ+ community? Swift didn’t seem to realize that she could have such an impact, or that it was an option. She says in her interview with Vogue, “I didn’t realise until recently that I could advocate for a community that I’m not a part of.” Maybe she should have known this, but her fans appreciate that she’s doing anything at all. Her release of “You Need to Calm Down” was certainly a way to uplift the community. Yet, it begs the question, is she taking the spotlight from LGBTQ+ artists? Teens streaming her song during Pride instead of songs from artists that identify with the community is hard to swallow. But Swift helps make up for this by showcasing many LGBTQ+ artists in the music video for her song. For example, she features Hayley Kiyoko, one of the biggest gay icons out there. It seems like Swift has gotten these artists on her side through spotlighting them, through her donation, and by her honesty in interviews and genuine support. After being in the video, Hayley Kiyoko wrote on Instagram, “Thank you Taylor for using your platform to bring awareness to these issues and for being such a beautiful ally to the community.” This helps prove that Swift’s support is more genuine than people’s cynicism may assume. While Swift
