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Paramore's Hayley Williams Unleashes On Ron DeSantis Over Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills
“If you vote for Ron DeSantis, you’re f***ing dead to me."
We've all wanted to tell people who have voted for Ron DeSantis that they're dead to us, but Paramore singer Hayley Williams actually did it — and in front of a huge crowd!
Williams spoke truth to power on Saturday at the Adjacent Music Festival when she called out Florida governor DeSantis for enacting a string of despicable anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
At the concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Williams responded to seeing people online saying she wasn’t comfortable talking about politics while on tour.
“I’ll be happy to tell you I’m very f***ing comfortable talking politics,” the singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of the pop-rock band told the crowd. “If you vote for Ron DeSantis, you’re f***ing dead to me. Is that comfortable enough for anyone?”
👀 Hayley Williams of @paramore: “I’ll be happy to tell you I’m very fucking comfortable talking politics — and if you vote for Ron Desantis you’re fucking dead to me.” pic.twitter.com/LozN7GkZbA
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) May 29, 2023
Williams’ outspoken condemnation of DeSantis comes on the heels of his recent announcement that he intends to run for president of the United States.
He was elected in 2019 and has spent his tenure as governor using his power to strip the LGBTQ+ community in the sunshine state of their rights.
Among the regressive laws the Republican governor has enacted is the "Don’t Say Gay" bill which disallows discussions of LGBTQ+ topics in schools. He also stripped trans girls of their right to participate in sports with the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and passed the Stop WOKE Act which restricts schools and workplaces from teaching about racism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression.
This is not the first time the Paramore star has used her platform to speak out against homophobia. Williams has condemned bigotry and violence against the LGBTQ+ community on social media (even denouncing an ex-band member) and performed alongside Hozier and country star Maren Morris at the “Love Rising'' benefit concert in Nashville. The concert raised funds for queer non-profit organizations in response to the state’s anti-drag legislation.
Backstage at the benefit concert, she told GLAAD, “I can't imagine being a person who spends their time thinking about how to limit anyone. I don't understand that mindset. So from my vantage point, it's very frustrating because, I can't, I don't, I wouldn't.”
She went on to express her gratitude to her band’s queer fans, “I can't thank our queer fans enough for showing up for us, and I hope that we make you feel seen, heard, included. Because truly, I don't feel that the music scene, much less the world, would be what it is without your creativity and your bravery, and your tenacity. “
Hayley Williams was 15 when she founded the band Paramore.
Hayley Williams quite social media because she wanted to have a boundary between her life as a celebrity and her private life.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
