Taylor Swift explained why she’s suddenly such a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights.
Many fans have been speculating that Taylor is queer, thanks to her recent pro-LGBTQ advocacy. But in an interview with Vogue, Taylor explained that she’s only acting as an ally.
“Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn’t a straight white cisgender male,” Taylor said. “I didn’t realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I’m not a part of.”
Taylor also realized that she needed to make her opinions on the topic clearer to her audience. She had the epiphany during a conversation with a friend and fellow singer, Todrick Hall.
“Maybe a year or two ago, Todrick and I are in the car, and he asked me, ‘What would you do if your son was gay?’” she recalled.
“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. If he was thinking that, I can’t imagine what my fans in the LGBTQ community might be thinking. It was kind of devastating to realize that I hadn’t been publicly clear about that.”
She’s certainly made her views clear now. In June, she released a single about homophobia called “You Need to Calm Down.”
Then she followed up with more pro-LGBTQ acts, writing an open letter to the Republican Senator of Tennessee in favor of the Equality Act and making a surprise appearance at the 50th anniversary of Stonewall for Pride Month.
She even wore a bisexual flag a couple of times, leading her LGBTQ fans to flip out about her possible queerness. But it looks like Taylor is simply a straight ally who’s trying to use her platform for good. Her latest album “Lover” is due for release on August 23.
