Taylor Swift takes a political stand and donates over $100,000 to support the LGBTQ community in Tennessee.
Global superstar Taylor Swift opened up about politics for the first time in 2018 when she openly endorsed two Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives in an Instagram post.
After staying silent on social issues, the 29-year-old vowed in an Elle interview to be vocal regarding politics.
“I’m finding my voice in terms of politics. I took a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government that are signing off on bills that affect our day-to-day life. I saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at risk, and felt like I had to speak up to try and help make a change,” Taylor Swift said in in the interview. “Only as someone approaching 30 did I feel informed enough to speak about it to my 114 million followers. Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders, and I realized that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric. I’m going to do more to help. We have a big race coming up next year.”
And that’s just what she’s doing.
Swift donated $113,000 to the Tennessee Equality Project, an LGBTQ advocacy group. Billboard was the first to report the news and their site states, “The organization has been actively fighting a series of bills in the state, including one that permits adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples based on religious beliefs. Another added bathrooms and locker rooms to a list of public places where someone can be charged with indecent exposure. Many believe this “bathroom bill,” passed Monday in the House of Representatives, will lead to transgender discrimination. A third of the six bills will make it the state’s policy to defend marriage as being between one man and one woman.”
In addition to her donation, Taylor Swift sent a handwritten note to the founder of the Tennessee Equality Project thanking him for the work he does to support the LGBTQ community.
“I’m writing you to say that I’m so inspired by the work you do, specifically in organizing the recent petition of Tennessee faith leaders standing up against the “slate of hate” in our state legislature,” she wrote. “Please convey my heartfelt thanks to them and accept this donation to support the work you and these leaders are doing. I’m so grateful that they’re giving all people a place to worship.”