Music

After Years Of Silence, Taylor Swift Has Finally Shared Her Political Views

"In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions...I feel very differently about that now."

Taylor Swift red re-record photo

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If you’ve been following the rollercoaster that has been Taylor Swift’s career for the past few years, you’d know that she plays her political cards *very* close to her chest.

So close in fact, that in the past two years she’s copped a walloping from the public over her deafening silence about Donald Trump, and her apparent unwillingness to engage in political debate even when she co-opts feminist principles for her own gain and image.

But now the pop star has broken her political silence, sharing a long post on Instagram about who she’ll be supporting in the upcoming midterm elections in the United States.

“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 wrote. “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 colour is terrifying, sickening and prevalent.”

She then reveals that she will not be supporting Tennessean Republican Marsha Blackburn in the upcoming election.

“As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn,” Swift writes. “Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values.”

Swift then stated she’ll be voting for Democrat Phil Bredesen in the Senate, and fellow Democrat Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives. She finished by imploring her fans to register to vote in the elections.

“Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway.”

She may not yet have denounced Trump, but it’s something; read the full post from Swift below. The singer will land in Australia later this month on her Reputation world tour.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. 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. 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. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! ???

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