Taylor Swift fans and associates quickly snapped back at the now-controversial New York Times piece about the pop icon’s sexuality.
In the piece, titled Look What We Made Taylor Swift Do, New York Times editor Anna Marks put together a list of LGBTQ references that Swift has put into both her songs and lyrics. The editor notably suggests that Swift has possibly signaled that she is part of the LGBTQ community.
“In isolation, a single drop hairpin is perhaps meaningless or accidental,” Marks wrote. “But considered together, they’re the unfurling of a ballerina bun after a long performance. Those dropped hairpins began to appear in Ms. Swift’s artistry long before queer identity was undeniably marketable to mainstream America. They suggest to queer people that she is one of us.”
However, the piece is now being criticized by those close to or beloved by Swift herself. One person close to the situation spoke CNN about the piece. “Because of her massive success, in this moment there is a Taylor-shaped hole in people’s ethics. This article wouldn’t have been allowed to be written about Shawn Mendes or any male artist whose sexuality has been questioned by fans.”
Another person called out journalists who don’t seem to mind crossing boundaries to write about Taylor Swift. “There seems to be no boundary some journalists won’t cross when writing about Taylor,” the person proclaimed. “Regardless of how invasive, untrue, and inappropriate it is – all under the protective veil of an ‘opinion piece.’”
Taylor Swift is a Huge Supporter of LGBTQ Rights
Refusing to remain quiet about certain topics, Taylor Swift has used her strong platform to support the LGBTQ community in numerous ways. In the past, she has stood up against various anti-gay bills. She also calls her concerts a “safe space” for the community.
In a 2019 interview with Vogue, Swift pointed out she aims to be a good ally to the LGBTQ community. “Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn’t a straight white cisgender male,” Swift declared. “I didn’t realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I’m not a part of.”
Taylor Swift has also spoken out about the rumors concerning her sexuality in the prologue of her re-recorded album, 1989. She stated that she surrounded herself with female friends because many have speculated she is involved with men she is publicly seen with.
“If I only hung out with my female friends, people couldn’t sensationalize or sexualize that – right?” she wrote. “I would learn later on that people could and people would.”
Also in the prologue, Swift thanked her fans for recognizing that her “Squad” was never meant to be “mean-spirited. “You, who knew that maybe a girl who surrounds herself with female friends in adulthood is making up for a lack of them in childhood (not starting a tyrannical hot girl cult),” she added.