Taylor Swift Celebrates Pride Month With Touching Speech at Chicago Concert: ‘This Is a Safe Space For You’
Taylor Swift delivered a heartfelt speech in honor of Pride Month during her Eras Tour concert in Chicago on Friday (June 2).
Sitting in front of her piano at Soldier Field, the 33-year-old pop superstar gave a special shout-out to the “brilliant crowds of people who are living their authentic lives” and assured fans that her shows are a “space space” for the LGBTQ community.
“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 said in the fan-captured video. “This is a celebratory space for you.”
She continued, “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.”
The Grammy-winning artist also referenced her 2019 Lover track “You Need to Calm Down,” which features lyrics like “can you just not step on his gown?” and “cause shade never made anybody less gay.” The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2019.
“You guys are screaming those lyrics in such solidarity, in such support of one another, in such encouraging, beautiful, acceptance and peace and safety,” she said. “I wish that every place was safe and beautiful for people in the LGBTQ community.”
The Midnights singer then segued into recent legislation in the United States that targets members of the LGBTQ community.
“There have been so many harmful pieces of legislation that have put people in the LGBTQ and queer 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 added, “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? Are they allies? Are they protectors of equality? Do I want to vote for them?”
Swift was mostly silent on the subject of politics for her entire career up until late late 2018, when she endorsed Phil Bredesen, the Democratic candidate for Senate in her home state of Tennessee. Since then, she’s been outspoken about all that’s going on in the world. Click here for a full timeline of Swift’s political evolution.
Watch Swift’s heartfelt Pride Month speech in Chicago on Twitter below.
Mitchell Peters
Billboard
