/Taylor Swifts Pride anthem leads to influx of GLAAD donations

Taylor Swifts Pride anthem leads to influx of GLAAD donations

Rather than calming anyone down, Taylor Swift’s latest single is stoking activism.

“You Need To Calm Down,” which was released in the midst of Pride Month on Thursday, champions the LGBTQ community and has an anti-hate message. Since the song — the second single on her upcoming album “Lover” — was released, GLAAD has received an “influx” of donations in the amount of $13. The LGBTQ media advocacy organization suspects the donation amount is a nod to Swift’s favorite number.

“And control your urges to scream about all the people you hate / ‘Cause shade never made anybody less gay,” the “Reputation” artist sings.

“You Need To Calm Down” also alludes to Pride parades and even directly gives a shoutout to GLAAD.

“Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD?” Swift, who released a lyric video on YouTube confirming her intended spelling and meaning of GLAAD, asks.

“Taylor Swift is one of the world’s biggest pop stars,” Anthony Ramos, director of talent engagement at GLAAD, said in an emailed statement. “The fact that she continues to use her platform and music to support the LGBTQ community … is a true sign of being an ally. ‘You Need to Calm Down’ is the perfect Pride anthem, and we’re thrilled to see Taylor standing with the LGBTQ community to promote inclusivity, equality, and acceptance this Pride month.”

Swift herself made a “very generous donation” to GLAAD earlier this month in honor of Pride, which the organization says will be used to create campaigns to fight hate and discrimination against LGBTQ people.

Swift’s LGBTQ political advocacy began during last year’s midterm elections when she wrote an Instagram post endorsing Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen over Republican Marsha Blackburn for an open U.S. Senate seat. Since then, she has donated $113,000 to the Tennessee Equality Project, an organization that lobbies state lawmakers on LGBTQ issues, to defeat the state’s “slate of hate,” a group of bills advocates have deemed harmful to the queer community.

Most recently, the Grammy- and Emmy-winning musician has called for the passage of the Equality Act, which would protect LGBTQ Americans from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. Swift wrote a letter to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., asking him for his support, and she has urged her fans to write their own senators about the legislation.

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🌈HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!!🌈 While we have so much to celebrate, we also have a great distance to go before everyone in this country is truly treated equally. In excellent recent news, the House has passed the Equality Act, which would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in their places of work, homes, schools, and other public accommodations. The next step is that the bill will go before the Senate. I’ve decided to kick off Pride Month by writing a letter to one of my senators to explain how strongly I feel that the Equality Act should be passed. I urge you to write to your senators too. I’ll be looking for your letters by searching the hashtag #lettertomysenator. While there’s no information yet as to when the Equality Act will go before the Senate for a vote, we do know this: Politicians need votes to stay in office. Votes come from the people. Pressure from massive amounts of people is a major way to push politicians towards positive change. That’s why I’ve created a petition at change.org to urge the Senate to support the Equality Act. Our country’s lack of protection for its own citizens ensures that LGBTQ people must live in fear that their lives could be turned upside down by an employer or landlord who is homophobic or transphobic. The fact that, legally, some people are completely at the mercy of the hatred and bigotry of others is disgusting and unacceptable. Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally. 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 Click the link in my bio to sign the petition for Senate support of the Equality Act.

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on May 31, 2019 at 9:05pm PDT

“Taylor Swift continues to use her platform to speak out against discrimination and create a world where everyone can live the life they love,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in an emailed statement. “In today’s divisive political and cultural climate, we need more allies like Taylor, who send positive and uplifting messages to LGBTQ people everywhere.”

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