Every Time Taylor Swift Has Spoken Out As An LGBTQ+ Ally
Taylor Swift knows all too well that shade never made anybody less gay. So much so that she's been a super active supporter of the LGTBQ+ community over the years, often speaking out and making important moves to make sure everybody, no matter how they identify, feels seen and equal. Swift has shown her support multiple times in some very public ways, including when she made a surprise appearance at the 2016 GLAAD Media Awards to present an award to Ruby Rose.
But she admitted while speaking to Vogue in 2019 that she knew she had to do more to make her support visible after being asked by her openly gay friend Todrick Hall how she would react if she one day had a son who identified as gay. "The fact that he had to ask me ... shocked me and made me realize that I had not made my position clear enough or loud enough," she explained. But the loud support we saw from Swift after her GLAAD Awards appearance is just a drop in the ocean.
Taylor Swift called out Marsha Blackburn over her lack of support for LGBTQ+ people
In October 2018, Taylor Swift posted one of her most impassioned captions on Instagram in which she shared why she would not be voting for Republican political figure Marsha Blackburn, who was running for Senate in Tennessee. In a lengthy but important post, Swift explained she would have liked to have voted for a woman, but could not support Blackburn because of her lack of support for women and the LGBTQ+ community. "I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG," she wrote, in part. Speaking specifically about Blackburn, she added, "She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values." But Swift's staunch stance against Blackburn wasn't enough, as Blackburn was elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee that year.
But Swift wasn't done there. Once again speaking out for LGBTQ+ people, she also slammed Blackburn's politics in her 2020 "Miss Americana" documentary. In it, Swift opened up about her decision to slam Blackburn on Instagram, stating, "I need to be on the right side of history. And if he doesn't win, at least I tried." After Blackburn won, Swift shared, "It's really basic human rights, and it's right and wrong at this point."
Taylor Swift donated $113,000 to the Tennessee Equality Project
Don't think Taylor Swift is all talk and no action when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community though, because she's certainly willing to put her money where her mouth is. In April 2019, just a few months after Swift's Instagram post, the Tennessee Equality Project's executive director Chris Sanders confirmed to The Tennessean that the superstar had donated $113,000 to the organization. The Tennessee Equality Project is a company looking to ensure equality for members of the LGBTQ+ community, and, as Swifties will know, the figure she donated relates to her lucky number, 13. "Taylor Swift has been a long-time ally to the LGBTQ community. She sees our struggle in Tennessee and continues to add her voice with so many good people, including religious leaders, who are speaking out for love in the face of fear," Sanders shared.
Not only did Swift pass along the six-figure sum, but The Tennessean also shared a photo of a handwritten letter the "Fortnight" singer sent to the organization to further cement her support. In the letter, Swift shared her gratitude for those working to make the world a better place for everyone and specifically highlighted the organization's work in uniting religious leaders to rally around the LGBTQ+ community. "Please convey my heartfelt thanks to them and accept this donation to support the work you and those leaders are doing. I'm so grateful that they're giving all people a place to worship," she wrote.
Her 'You Need To Calm Down' video is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community
If you've ever seen Taylor Swift's "You Need To Calm Down" music video, or simply heard the track, you'll already know how the star openly supported the LGBTQ+ community with her lyrics and the song's imagery. The track itself includes the very telling lines, "Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD?" and "Control your urges to scream about all the people you hate/'Cause shade never made anybody less gay!" As for the music video, the piece is one big celebration of the community. The video features several famous LGBTQ+ celebrities, including Laverne Cox and RuPaul. It also shows a wedding ceremony between same-sex partners and a drag competition featuring a drag performer dressed as Swift.
Swift opened up about the song's meaning, or we should say meanings, during her 2019 cover story for Vogue. "The first verse is about trolls and cancel culture. The second verse is about homophobes and the people picketing outside our concerts. The third verse is about successful women being pitted against each other," she explained. Iconic. And important.
Taylor Swift created a petition to support The Equality Act
In 2021, Taylor Swift shared her staunch support for trans rights on social media. The star quoted a tweet from the LGBTQ+ support organization GLAAD, which shared the results of a House vote regarding The Equality Act. The Act was designed to stop people from discriminating against people based on their sex, sexual orientation, or the gender they identify as. Making it very clear she was very much pushing for the Act to pass, Swift tweeted, "YES!!! Fingers crossed and praying that the Senate will see trans and lgbtq rights as basic human rights." She also added the trans rights flag, the LGBTQ+ rainbow flag, and the U.S. flag to her message; the woman clearly knows her Pride flags!
But Swift's involvement went further than that. Three years earlier, she created a petition to support the Equality Act aiming for 1 million signatures. At the time of writing, the Change.org petition has almost than 852,000 — more than enough to have it looked at by the White House. Swift even spoke out about getting the attention of the then president, Donald Trump, at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, saying on stage (via MTV), "I want to thank everyone who signed that petition because it now has a half a million signatures, which is five times the amount that it would need to warrant a response from the White House."
Taylor Swift spoke out against anti-LGBTQ+ legislature during Pride month
In June 2023, Taylor Swift made it very clear yet again where her heart lies when she spoke out against a distressing increase in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. In a fan video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Swift spoke proudly from the stage during a Chicago stop on her crazy successful "Eras Tour" in June 2023 (aka Pride month). She told fans of the wave of hate the community had received, "It's painful for everyone, every ally, every loved one, every person in these communities, and that's why I'm always posting, 'This is when the midterms are, This is when these important key primaries are.'" Swift also spoke on stage about seeing so many members of the LGBTQ+ community in the crowd and how she wanted them to feel seen and welcome at her shows, which she described as "safe, celebratory space."
Swift's touching message connected with her fans, as many shared how much her support meant to them. "She said 'I'm doing much more important [things] to support the community than just waving a pride flag and saying happy pride on stage then doing [nothing] to take action,'" one person wrote on X referencing the video. "Calling out lawmakers while also supporting the community, how could you not say mother," another wrote. And we couldn't agree more. Want to be more like Swift? Then check out the ways you can support the LGBTQ+ community beyond voting.