7 Times Taylor Swift Was an LGBTQ Ally

Neo-Nazis and conservatives may have tried to claim Taylor Swift as their own, but the superstar is having NONE of it.

While her support of the LGBTQ community has gotten way more apparent recently, it’s been building gradually over the years, and now that it’s too loud for the homophobes to ignore, we’re happy to celebrate all the times she’s stood up for us.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Aug 22, 2019 at 8:44am PDT

1.) She supports the Equality Act. A lot.

At the start of Pride Month earlier this year, Taylor immediately posted a letter to her Instagram pleading with her Senator to support the Equality Act, a bill that would prohibit discrimination against the LGBTQ community in several areas. Since then, she’s continued to encourage her fans to pen letters to their own representatives urging support of the act, via social media, notes at the end of her videos, and even at her huge VMAs performance.

2.) She donated $113,000 to fight Tennessee’s Slate of Hate.

When Tennessee announced a series of bills earlier this year that would hurt members of the LGBTQ community, Taylor quietly sent a hefty donation to the Tennessee Equality Project to help them push back against the so-called "slate of hate."

3.) She lifts up LGBTQ artists.

When Hayley Kiyoko pointed out the hypocrisy of music executives being okay with straight women singing about men in all their songs, citing Taylor as an example, but questioning her for singing about women in hers, Swifties saw it as criticism of their fave. But Taylor not only defended Hayley, she invited her to perform at one of her concerts. Hayley later reciprocated, including Taylor as a surprise guest at a performance for the Ally Coalition. But Hayley is just one of many LGBTQ artists Taylor has invited to share her stage, giving them more of a platform than they would have had at the time otherwise, including Troye Sivan, Tegan and Sara, and St. Vincent.

4.) Well..."You Need to Calm Down."

Yes, there’s been some back and forth between how much of a queer anthem "You Need to Calm Down" really is, but we’re pretty firmly in the camp of "yes, it’s a queer anthem." It’s a casual pop song using a catchy tune to shame homophobes, so it’s not the most in depth exploration of the impact of homophobia on a marginalized community, but support is support. More than that, Taylor used the song and video to drive donations to GLAAD, promote the Equality Act (again), and highlight a slew of LGBTQ celebrities. Plus, it’s seriously a bop.

5.) THE DRAG QUEENS!

Speaking of "You Need to Calm Down," when the video premiered, some folks were concerned that the drag queens that were central to the vid had been taken advantage of and not properly compensated for their time and talents—a constant issue in the drag world. But the queens were quick to confirm that they were not only "VERY well paid," but that Taylor took the time to make them, and everyone else on set, feel welcome and comfortable, rather than acting like a diva. She also made sure that her drag queens not only got to perform with her at the VMAs, but would receive trophies for the video’s win just like she did.

6.) Her singing about queerness isn’t new.

While it’s easy to look at how loud and unmistakably queer "You Need to Calm Down" is, it’s not the first time Taylor has referenced the LGBTQ community in her music. Her song "Welcome to New York" included the line "and you can want who you want, boys and boys and girls and girls," a wonderfully casual lyric that absolutely no queer Swiftie took for granted. She also featured a storyline denouncing the bullying of an ostensibly gay kid with the video for "Mean."

7.) She acknowledges when she’s failed as an ally.

When Todrick Hall pointed out to Taylor that he, as her friend, wasn’t really sure whether she would be okay with having a gay kid or not, it made her realize she hadn’t been as vocal about her support for the LGBTQ community as she felt like she was internally. "It was kind of devastating to realize," she admitted. Taylor had already cleared out the only homophobic lyric in her back catalog ("So go and tell your friends that I’m obsessive and crazy, that’s fine! I’ll tell mine you’re gay" from "Picture to Burn"), and had private interactions with fans that suggested her support, but that wasn’t enough. So a new era was sparked in which a more vocal Swift not only started to persistently make her allyship known, but acknowledged that she should have done it sooner. 

We can’t help but stan!