Music

Taylor Swift Discusses Her Politics For The First Time in Years

Taylor Swift, a notoriously apolitical pop star, has posted an impassioned paragraph about her political preferences on Instagram. Generally a figure who has shied away from discussing who she votes for, Swift has copped some flack over the past few years for failing to condemn Donald Trump’s presidency in a public forum. While she still hasn’t spoken about the Trump administration, today’s social media missive gives some insight into how she’ll be voting in the November midterm elections.

“In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now,” she writes. “I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent.“

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In the paragraph, she discusses Tennessee senate candidate Marsha Blackburn, whom she says she “cannot support” due to her lack of support for women and LGBTQI+ people. Instead, Swift endorses senate candidate Phil Bredesen and House of Representatives candidate Jim Cooper. She encourages her fans to “educate [themselves] on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values,” and reaffirms the importance of voting. Read the full post below:

This post is a change of pace for Swift, who has steadfastly refused to align herself with any particular party over the past decade. She rarely endorses candidates; pretty much the last time she spoke about one directly was a brief comment about Obama where she didn’t actually specify voting for him. She supports causes like the Women’s March, LGBT+ rights and feminist issues, but bullishly steers away from any specifics. This has resulted in minor backlash from parts of the internet.

Shaad D’Souza is Noisey’s Australian editor. Follow him on Twitter.