For those not in the know, June is Pride Month. To commemorate the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York City, Pride is a time for the LGBTQ community to come together to honor our struggles and celebrate our achievements since 1969. These celebrations have become controversial as pride parades have transformed from grassroots community protests to glitzy corporate events. However, it is still important for many queer people to be acknowledged by straight allies. In a recent concert on her Reputation Tour, Taylor Swift did just that.
Videos by Wide Open Country
"It's very brave to be vulnerable about your feelings in any sense, in any situation, but it's even more brave to be honest about your feelings and who you love when you know that it might be met with adversity from society," Swift told her audience at Soldier Field in Chicago.
"And so this month and every month I want to send my love and respect to everybody who has been brave enough to be honest about how they feel, to live their lives as they are, as they feel they should be, as they identify. And this is a month where I think we need to celebrate how far we've come, but I think we also need to acknowledge how far we still have left to go."
Swift delivered the emotional speech before performing her Reputation single "Delicate."
"I want to send my love and respect to everybody who, in their journey in their life, hasn't felt comfortable enough to come out. And may you do that on your own time and may we end up in a world where everyone can live and love equally and no one has to be afraid to be vulnerable to say how they feel," Swift said.
"Because when it comes to feelings and when it comes to love and searching for someone to spend your whole life with, it's all just really, really delicate." She then segued into the Reputation track.
You can watch Swift's heartfelt speech in a video from user from Twitter users @laineyc94 and @taylorswiftnews below:
June is Pride Month & @taylorswift13 gave a really great speech!! We've come so far, but we've still got a long way to go... #repTourChicago #PrideMonth pic.twitter.com/qNfXj9HcKV
— Lainey (@LaineyC94) June 3, 2018
As Taylor Swift has transitioned from country star to pop star, she's won over many LGBTQ fans. Her heartfelt message at the Chicago concert serves as a reminder to how all entertainers, in and out of Nashville, can include fans across all communities. As of this writing, few musicians in the country and alt-country establishment have acknowledged LGBTQ pride on social media. However, here is Sarah Shook's pride month message to the LGBTQ community:
https://twitter.com/sarahshook/status/1002573226646605825
(h/t Billboard, Rolling Stone)
