Bringing the sunshine on the street at the parade to Soldier Field! Taylor Swift kicked off Pride Month with a sweet tribute to her fans at her Eras Tour opener in Chicago.
“I’m looking out tonight [and] I’m seeing so many incredible individuals who are living authentically and beautifully, and this is a safe space for you,” the “Hits Different” songstress, 33, gushed during her Friday, June 2, concert, per social media footage. “This is a celebratory space for you. One of the things that makes me feel so prideful is getting to be with you and watching you interact with each other, being so loving and so thoughtful and so caring.”
She added: “Being with you during Pride Month, getting to sing the words to ‘You Need To Calm Down’ where there are lyrics like, ‘Can you just not step on his gown?’ or, ‘Shade never made anybody less gay,’ and you guys are screaming those lyrics [with] such solidarity [and] such support of one another and such encouraging, beautiful acceptance and peace and safety. And I wish that every place was safe and beautiful for people of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Taylor Swift performs in Los Angeles on June 1, 2019. John Salangsang/Shutterstock
Swift — who hit the road on her Eras Tour in March, performing tracks from all of her past records — released “You Need To Calm Down” on her 2019 album, Lover. The hit single, which even shouted out nonprofit GLAAD in its lyrics, proved her fervent allyship. The track’s music video even starred several well-known queer artists and drag queens.
“To be an ally is to understand the difference between advocating and baiting,” the Cats actress wrote via her Tumblr page after the video’s release, defending its content. “Anyone trying to twist this positivity into something it isn’t needs to calm down. It costs zero dollars to not step on our gowns.”
While Swift praised her fans on Friday for standing up in solidarity and singing along to “You Need To Calm Down,” she also pointed out why that is so important.
“We can’t talk about Pride without talking about pain,” the “Teardrops on My Guitar” singer — who is currently dating Matty Healy — quipped while seated at her moss-covered piano on the Soldier Field stage. “Right now and recently, and in the recent years, there have been so many harmful pieces of legislation that have put people in the LGBTQ+ and queer community at risk. It’s painful for everyone, every ally, every loved one [and] every person in these communities.”
She continued: “That’s why I’m always posting, ‘This is when the midterms are. This is when these important key primaries are.’ Because we can support as much as we want during Pride Month but if we’re not doing our research on these elected officials, [asking] ‘Are they actually advocates? Are they allies? Are they protectors of equality? Do I want to vote for them?’ [then what will happen?]”
Swift’s impactful speech was met with a round of cheers from Illinois-based Swifties before she closed with a sweet sentiment. “I love you guys so much. Happy Pride Month,” she gushed.
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