Taylor Swift calls out White House during an acceptance speech at VMAs, Washington responds
Never one to hide her truth, Taylor Swift has long been known for roasting ex-boyfriends and calling out her haters through her songwriting and performances. At the VMAs though, she pointed her target away from Hollywood and towards Washington. Following her live performance of ‘You Need To Calm Down’, the song and its accompanying groundbreaking video secured the Moonperson for both Video for Good and Video of the Year, and her acceptance speech was politically charged.
The video, a celebration of equality, has an accompanying petition to pass the Equality Act, which would guarantee the legal protection of LGBTQ people against discrimination. The bill has already passed in the democratic House of Representatives and now awaits recognition from the Senate. With over 500,000 signatures received, a response to the petition seems long overdue.
Calling attention to the lack of action, Swift called out the administration for their stagnancy. “I want to say thank you to everyone who signed that petition because it now has half a million signatures, which is five times the amount it would need to warrant a response from the White House,” she said, tapping an imaginary watch.
The direct call-out caught the attention of the White House, who issued a statement a few days later regarding the Act. White House spokesman Judd Deree told USA TODAY that “the Trump Administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, the House-passed bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.”
Where the petition goes from here is not guaranteed, but Swift has made it clear that she will continue to use her platform to work in policy.