Without a doubt, Taylor Swift, 30, has been an amazing LGBTQ advocate. The Lover singer appeared on Pride Live’s third annual Stonewall Day event on Friday, June 26, and blasted the U.S. Governments choice to not include an option for trans or non-binary people on current census forms. “I got my census the other day and there were two choices for gender. There was male and female. And that erasure was so upsetting to me, the erasure of transgender and non-binary people,” Taylor said.
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“When you don’t collect information about a group of people that means you have every excuse not to support them. When you don’t collect data on a community — that’s a really brutal way of dismissing them,” she went on her virtually filmed speech. “We need to exercise our right to vote this year…we need to make sure we elect people who support all communities.” Taylor went on to reflect on the iconic Stonewall Inn, and her experiences there. “The Stonewall Inn has been such a symbol of rebellion in the face of oppression. And such a safe place for people,” she explained, noting that she had the opportunity to perform there with Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
“We had a really good step forward recently based on the Supreme Court ruling based on discrimination, based on sex, but we have so far to go in terms of equality and protections for LBBTQ people and people in the trans community,” Taylor also said. “The Equality Act still has not passed and it needs to.”
The Grammy winner publicly took a stance for LGBTQ rights with her summer 2019 anthem, “You Need To Calm Down.” In the lyrics, Taylor addresses homophobia and her own haters as she urged her fans to sign a petition supporting the Equality Act. “Why are you mad? When you could be GLAAD? (You could be GLAAD),” she croons in the second verse, referencing the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. “Sunshine on the street at the parade…’Cause shade never made anybody less gay,” she also sings in the poppy tune, co-written by Joel Little. Taylor continued the theme in the video, featuring a number of high profile members in the LGBTQ community, including her BFF Todrick Hall, Ellen DeGeneres, RuPaul, Laverne Cox, and more.
The annual Pride Live event commemorates the anniversary of New York City’s 1969 Stonewall Riots as members of the LGBTQ community fought against oppression and for equality. This years’ date, June 26, was of significance as it also coincides with the fifth anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling which grants gay couples marriage equality. The event, hosted by transgender model Geena Rocero, 36, and included a star-studded lineup including appearances by Ellen DeGeneres, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Chelsea Clinton and more.
In a statement, Dr. Yvette C. Burton, the president of the Pride Live board of directors, said “COVID-19, and the recent events that have placed a national and global spotlight on the need for fair and equal treatment for all people, has impacted so many around the world and the LGBTQ+ community has not been immune.” She added, “Our hopes are Stonewall Day can assist our beneficiaries in continuing their work and service to the community.”
YES!! Thank you to the Supreme Court Justices who voted in favor and all the advocates who have fought so hard for this! We still have a long way to go to reach equality, but this is a beautiful step forward. 🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🌈 https://t.co/zTd3i5P2TL
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 15, 2020
Recently, Taylor has been advocating for the Supreme Court to ensure that federal civil rights laws protect LGBT workers, which they ruled in favor of on Monday, June 15. In response, Taylor tweeted “YES!! Thank you to the Supreme Court Justices who voted in favor and all the advocates who have fought so hard for this! We still have a long way to go to reach equality, but this is a beautiful step forward.”