Taylor Swift Promises to 'Always Advocate' for Rights of the LGBTQ Community: I'm 'Grateful for This'

"Everyone should be able to live out their love story without fear of discrimination," the Grammy award-winning musician said

By

Nicholas Rice

Published on December 2, 2020 10:01 AM

Taylor Swift is proudly standing by the LGBTQ community.

On Tuesday evening, Swift was honored with the Icon Award at the 2020 Attitude Awards. In her speech, the 30-year-old musician promised to "always advocate" for the community and lend her support to them.

Receiving the award from her friend and collaborator, Todrick Hall, Swift opened her speech by sharing, "I'm really, really grateful for this, this is so amazing."

"I want to say thank you to anyone who had a hand in deciding that I should deserve this," she continued. "Mostly I want to say thank you to the fans for giving me a platform to make music and to be vocal about the things I think are right and wrong."

Then, noting that she believes "very firmly that everyone should be able to live out their love story without fear of discrimination," Swift added, "The way for that to happen is for us to continue to keep pushing governments to put protections in place for members of the LGBTQ community. And I promise to always advocate for that."

In years past, Swift has been a forthright advocate for the community, often donating money to support groups and penning powerful letters calling for action for those who identify as a member of the LGBTQ community.

Last April, the Grammy award-winning singer donated $113,000 to aid efforts to stop anti-LGBTQ legislature in support of the Tennessee Equality Project.

Executive director Chris Sanders praised the "You Need to Calm Down" crooner as a "long-time ally to the LGBTQ community" in a message shared to Facebook.

"She sees our struggle in Tennessee and continues to add her voice with so many good people, including religious leaders, who are speaking out for love in the face of fear," he wrote at the time. "Tennessee Equality Project is honored and grateful to reveal Taylor Swift has made a donation of $113,000 to support our efforts at this critical moment."

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Then, later that same year and shortly before Pride Month, Swift shared a copy of a letter she had written to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican, urging him to support the Equality Act, which would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Although the legislation was passed by the House, many Republicans spoke out against it.

"While we have so much to celebrate, we also have a great distance to go before everyone in this country is truly treated equally," Swift told fans in 2019, urging them to join her in writing to their own state senators.

"Our country’s lack of protection for its own citizens ensures that LGBTQ people must live in fear that their lives could be turned upside down by an employer or landlord who is homophobic or transphobic. The fact that, legally, some people are completely at the mercy of the hatred and bigotry of others is disgusting and unacceptable," she added. "Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally."

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Alongside Swift, fellow musician Dua Lipa also received an award from the British lifestyle magazine.

Winning the Music Award, Lipa, 25, thanked fans and Attitude for their support, as she detailed how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected the LGBTQ community.

"Some of us have been fortunate to spend some precious time with loved ones, but for some in the LGBTQ community, the impact has been much more profound," she said. "That might be the case for young people who are getting to grips with their sexuality and making life-changing decisions about when and how to come out."

"I'm urging all of us, if there is someone you think is vulnerable, someone you think could do with a hug — even if it's virtual — please don't wait for them to reach out," she added. "Let's wrap our arms around the young people in this community and help them to feel safe, heard and loved."