Taylor Swift Celebrates Pride Month, Speaks Out Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills

Taylor Swift took time out of her Chicago stop of her Ticket Master-breaking Eras Tour on Friday to dedicate a speech to the LGBTQ+ community.

The Midnights singer told the crowd of thousands that her shows were a safe space for queer people.

“I’m looking out tonight, I’m seeing so many incredible individuals who are living authentically and beautifully and this is a safe space for you,” Swift, 33, said in a fan-captured video shared on Twitter.

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter added, “This is a celebratory space for you. And one of the things that makes me feel so prideful is getting to be with you, and watching you interact with each other, and being so loving, and so thoughtful, and so caring.”

Swift then referred to her 2019 song “You Need to Calm Down” which features lyrics like “cause shade never made anybody less gay” and had numerous LGBTQ+ celebrities in the song’s music video.

“You guys are screaming those lyrics in such solidarity, in such support of one another, in such encouraging, beautiful, acceptance and peace and safety,” Swift told her fans. “I wish that every place was safe and beautiful for people in the LGBTQ community.”

She then spoke out against anti-LGBTQ+ laws being passed across the U.S.

“There have been so many harmful pieces of legislation that have put people in the [LGBTQ+ community] at risk,” she said. “It’s painful for everyone, every ally, every loved one, every person of these communities, and that’s why I’m always posting, ‘This is when the midterms are, this is when these important key primaries are.’”

Swift emphasized the importance of voting and making sure lawmakers know that LGBTQ+ rights matter.

“We can support as much as we want during Pride Month, but if we’re not doing our research on these elected officials — are they advocates?” she said. “Are they allies? Are they protectors of equality? Do I want to vote for them?”