“No, Taylor Swift didn’t say we should remove the Statue of Liberty,” Sophie Austin wrote for a PolitiFact article debunking a headline claiming Swift stands for the removal of the monument.———
Who didn’t see this coming ??By the way , … my Grandfather worked on the building of the Statue of Liberty , … his name is on it.
Back in March 2018, Swift took to Instagram to show support for victims of gun violence.
The pop star hasn’t always been politically vocal with her platform, though. Maybe her past silence resulted from media trying to enforce an image of ‘young’ and ‘boy-crazy,’ influencing her decision to steer clear of politics.
2. ‘I don’t think it’s my job to try and influence people which way they should vote.’
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In a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone, Swift defended avoiding political discussion after asked if she was a Democrat or a Republican. She described voting as a personal choice.
“I was wavering back and forth who’s ideas I liked better, and who really represented what I believed in,” she said, leaving who she voted for ambiguous. “I kept going back over articles I’d read, and trying to figure out who to vote for.”
Years after that interview with the Rolling Stone, Swift encouraged eligible voters to register in their state in an Instagram post, she discussed her distaste for her home state of current Tennessee Senator, Marsha Blackburn. She states in the caption that she’ll be voting for Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen.
Swift showed in-depth knowledge of Blackburn’s strong conservative values and condemned Blackburn’s congressional voting record.
By 2019, Swift was using Twitter to share her beliefs. Not only did she write a letter to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander encouraging him to vote in support of the Equality Act, but she also urged her followers and fans to write letters to their senators.
5. ‘Shade never made anyone less gay.’
Swift’s music video for “You Need To Calm Down” showed great support for LGBTQ+ equality. The music video features cameos from leading transgender activist Laverne Cox and boundary-pushing lesbian pop star Hayley Kiyoko.
Lyrics outwardly advocated for the Gay Rights Movement, and visuals paid homage to queer cornerstones, such as Cher and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The music video wasn’t without criticism, however.
Some suggested the singer was attempting to center herself in the movement, and co-opted vernacular and culture that didn’t belong to a wealthy white straight pop singer from the Bible Belt.
6. ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’
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Once Trump started gaining traction in 2016, Swift became the subject of a conspiracy theory that hailed her as an “Aryan Goddess,” secretly supporting Trump and holding conservative values. She has since repeatedly spoken against the Trump administration.
Although Swift’s occasional lack of racial representation has seen criticism, that doesn’t suggest that she’s a white supremacist.
7. Taylor knew Trump was trouble (when he did nothing in office).
In Swift’s politicized speech accepting Video of the Year award at the MTV VMAs, she dragged Trump for not supporting the Equality Act and refused to perform unless every drag queen featured in her “You Need To Calm Down” music video also received awards.
8. She REALLY dislikes the President.
After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump
And who can blame her? Swift sent this tweet after Trump referred to civil rights protesters as “thugs” and threatened to use military force to suppress protests.
9. And REALLY dislikes Confederate monuments.
As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things. Edward Carmack and Nathan Bedford Forrest were DESPICABLE figures in our state history and should be treated as such.
Okay, she doesn’t want to take down the Statue of Liberty, but Swift is clearly in favor of removing monuments commemorating racist figures in history.
10. She’s still learning and acknowledging she’s not perfectly ‘woke.’
Personally, I’ve made the decision to give all of my employees June 19th off in honor of Freedom Day from now on, and to continue to educate myself on the history that brought us to this present moment.
Swift tweeted out that she’s continuing to educate herself on systemic racism while announcing that she’s given her employees the day off to honor the holiday.
You love to see a public figure take accountability for learning about injustices.
11. Praising the work of healthcare workers during Coronavirus.
Swift’s music video for ‘cardigan’ off her new album “folklore,” streaming now and available for purchase, finishes with a crucial message:
“A special thank you to our on set medics, COVID-19 compliance personnel and the crew for operating under the strictest guidelines including wearing PPE, practicing thorough sanitization and respecting social distancing during the video shoot.”
“Folklore,” released this Friday, shows Swift’s ascent into the legion of musicians who have released groundbreaking music during Coronavirus. A foray into ambient folk-pop, her lyrics take a more serious tone than in the past, reflecting her hardships and the music industry’s refusal to see her as anything more than a broken-hearted young woman who writes songs about boys.
Swift has cemented her place in history as a gifted musician, capable of crafting empathetic and catchy tunes, and advocating for justice, taking the time to Speak Now with pride in support of those who lack the opportunity to speak out.
