As Taylor Swift’s massive Eras Tour continued on Friday night at Chicago's Soldier Field, the record-breaking pop star took some time during the concert to show her support for Pride Month. Every June since 1970, the summer month has been an important time for the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate one another and fight for queer rights. Swift showed her allyship by giving a heartfelt speech to a crowd of tens of thousands in honor of Pride Month.
While sitting at her piano, in between songs, Taylor Swift said some sweet words about the celebratory month. In her words (via a video on Twitter from an attendee):
It’s the most beautiful experience to look out on crowds during this tour, and 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. This is a celebratory space for you and 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.
There’s already a lot to look forward to during an Eras show, between Taylor Swift’s many stunning tour outfits, random celebrity sightings at her shows, gorgeous set design, choreography and surprise songs that she switches out for each date. On top of that, Swift often speaks to the audience in a few in-between moments, and it’s sweet of her to use her massive platform to continue to show support for the queer community. As she continued:
Being with you during Pride Month, getting to sing the words to ‘You Need To Calm Down’ where the lyrics are like ‘can you just not step on his gown’ or ‘shade never made anybody less gay.’ And, you guys are screaming those lyrics in such solidarity, in 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 in the LGBTQ+ community.
Taylor Swift wrote a queer anthem “You Need To Calm Down," which she released in 2019 during Pride Month, and she invited numerous celebrities from the LGBTQ+ community to star in the music video. At the end of the video, Swift sent fans to a petition in support of the Equality Act being passed. Over 800 thousand people signed it, and a couple of years ago it was announced that the Equality Act would be reintroduced by President Joe Biden (though it’s still pending). Swift also said this during Friday’s Eras Tour:
We can’t talk about Pride Month without talking about the pain [happening] right now and in 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, every person in these communities, and 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, are they advocates? Are they allies? Are they protectors of equality?
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In addition to Taylor Swift speaking out about Pride in 2019 and in this recent speech, she additionally cast a trans actor as her love interest in the “Lavender Haze” music video, and she brought along numerous openly queer artists to open the Eras Tour for her, such as Phoebe Bridgers, Girl in Red, MUNA and beabadoobee. Swift’s fanbase is massive and it has and does make a difference for the singer to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Swift will continue to play at Soldier Field for two more nights before heading to Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Denver, Seattle and Los Angeles. She also announced this week she’s going to Mexico, Argentina and Brazil next. All that and more upcoming Taylor Swift music is on the way with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) set to be released on July 7. Until then, Happy Pride Month from Taylor Swift and us here at CinemaBlend!
