Ok, here is my take on everything being said about Taylor Swift right now. If anything I say is incorrect, please let me know.

Prior to releasing YNTCD, Taylor Swift was not vocal about politics or LGBTQ+ rights. She also was still signed to her former record label, who (1/?)

has since been proven to be very controlling of Taylor and other artists signed to them. The contracts artists sign in the music industry aren’t just about their music, it’s about what they are allowed and not allowed to do in many different situations. Contracts can say (2/?)

that you are not allowed to speak badly about someone and still be legally binding, contracts can say you are not allowed to do a lot of things and be legally binding. They can give someone else control over your social media.

My point is that up until the Lover Era Taylor (3/?)

Was not in full control of her career or her life. She may have felt this way about the LGBTQ+ community for so long, but due to contracts, couldn’t be vocal about social issues until she left her old label. So don’t accuse her for not doing something when she didn’t have (4/?)

full autonomy in the situation.

Secondly, the person who started this claims that Taylor’s allyship was performative and left on the charts of 2019. It has been documented that Taylor has donated over $100,000 to the Tennessee Equality Project (an LGBTQ+ charity) and an (5/?)

undisclosed amount to GLAAD. Donations are actively doing something, not performative. Not to mention, her petition for the Equality Act and everything she has done to get voters registered for the election. What more does she need to do to show you her allyship is real? (6/?)

Another thing this person claims is that we cannot know if her allyship is true because we don’t personally know Taylor. Valid point. However, if we can’t claim she is an ally on that basis, then why can you claim she isn’t and be justified? Clearly, people can interpret (7/?)

her actions negatively or positively, so if you can claim she isn’t an ally, why can’t we claim she is when we have proof to back it up?

Now, I won’t deny that hardcore Taylor stans can defend her blindly at times for sure. That happens with so many artists. But I don’t (8/?)

think that is what’s happening here. The people telling you Taylor is an ally are backing up their claims with evidence to support it. You only support your claim by saying, “actually what you’re saying is x is actually y,” which isn’t going to help you make your point. (9/?)

So, to this person, all I have to say is, what is your definition of performative allyship? What is your definition of queerbaiting? Because based on the definitions I have that came from multiple sources defining these terms, Taylor Swift has done neither of those things (10/?)

I can see how maybe her allyship seemed gimmicky at first, but again, donations, petitions, both of which are active things that help queer people. And again, she was very likely unable to show support for such a divisive issue until her former record contract was over. (11/fin)