Taylor Swift expressed her solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community during the Chicago, Illinois stop of her Eras Tour.
The 33-year-old – who stepped into New York City this week – took a moment to address the crowd directly and make a statement about politics with Pride Month in mind.
She was wearing a sleeveless orange dress and was sitting at her piano. The hitmaker said, “Looking out tonight, I see so many incredible individuals living authentically and beautifully, and this is a safe space.”
She emphasized, “This is a celebratory space for you. One of the things that makes me feel so proud is to be with you and see how you treat each other, so loving and so thoughtful and so caring.”
The hearty moment was captured by a fan who shared a two-minute snippet on Twitter.
Speaking up: Taylor Swift expressed her solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community during her Eras Tour’s Chicago, Illinois stop
Allyship: The 33-year-old took a moment to speak directly to the crowd and make a statement about politics with Pride Month in mind
Swift continued, “Being with you during Pride Month, the words of You Need To Calm Down get to sing with lyrics like, ‘Can’t you just step on his dress?’ or “Shade has never made anyone less gay,” and you scream those lyrics.
‘What solidarity. What support from each other and what an encouraging, beautiful acceptance and peace and security. And I wish every place was safe and beautiful for people of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Taylor addressed the current state of politics while adding, “We can’t talk about Pride without talking about pain.
“Currently and recently, there are so many harmful laws that have put people in the LGBTQ+ and queer community at risk. It’s painful for everyone. Any ally. Every loved one. Every person in these communities.”
She commented, “And that’s why I always post, ‘This is when the midterms are.’ This is when these major key primaries are.”
She encouraged her fans to ask themselves about certain politicians, “Are they actually lawyers?” Are they allies? Are they protectors of equality? Do I want to vote for them?’
The @swifferwins fan account captioned the tweet: “happy pride month. it’s a great day to be a lesbian who got engaged at a Taylor Swift concert in Nashville!! #ChicagoTSTheErasTour.”
Taylor hasn’t always lent her voice to the political space, but she’s become more vocal in recent years.
Her words: The hitmaker said, “Looking out tonight, I see so many incredible individuals living authentically and beautifully, and this is a safe space”
Meaningful: Swift said, “One of the things that makes me feel so proud is to be with you and see how you treat each other, be so loving and so thoughtful and so caring”
Her look: The music sensation wore a sparkly bodysuit with multicolored jewel embellishments and sequins
In March 2018, the Lover singer shared an image of the March for Our Lives logo — a student-led gun control demonstration — on social media following the Parkland, Florida high school shooting that left 17 dead.
“No one should have to go to school for fear of gun violence. Or to a nightclub. Or to a concert. Or to a cinema. Or to their place of worship,” Swift captioned the post.
She then revealed that she “made a donation to show my support for the students, for the March For Our Lives campaign, for everyone affected by these tragedies, and to support gun reform.”
The star said at the time, “I am so moved by the Parkland High School students, teachers, by all the victims’ families and friends who have spoken out, in an effort to prevent this from happening again.”
Taylor had previously been accused of taking an apolitical stance on controversial issues.
In her 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana, the singer-songwriter confronted her former tendency to keep quiet.
‘Every time I did not speak out about politics as a young person, I was applauded for it,’ she recalled. ‘It was wild. I said, ‘I’m a 22-year-old girl – people don’t want to hear what I have to say about politics.’ And people would just say, “Yeahhhhh!”
She later explained, “Using my voice to plead was the only choice you could make. Because I’ve talked about equality and sung about it in songs like Welcome to New York, but we’re at a point where human rights are being violated.
“If you say that certain people can be kicked out of a restaurant because of who they like or how they identify, and these are actually policies that certain politicians vocally support, and they disguise them as family values, that’s sinister. So, so dark.’
Uplifting: Swift continued, “Being with you during Pride Month, singing the words of You Need To Calm Down with lyrics like, ‘Can’t you just step on his dress?’ or, ‘Shade never made anyone less gay’, and you scream those lyrics… such solidarity’
Extended Show: Taylor took the stage to perform at Soldier Field on Friday, June 2, 2023
Swift took to social media on Friday to announce eight tour dates for Latin America to kick off the international leg of her production.
The Grammy-winning star promised that “MUCH more” international dates would be added “soon.”
In the post’s caption, the Blank Space singer revealed she will also be making stops in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil between August and November.
She announced Sabrina Carpenter as her opening act while adding, “Dear Angel Princess @sabrinacarpenter will be at all shows!”
Swift then concluded, “Visit taylorswift.com/tour to learn more about your registrations, pre-sales, and on-sales,” and teased, “MUCH more international dates coming up, promise!”