A source from Taylor Swift’s campaign called the column “invasive, false and inappropriate.”
New York, USA:
A lengthy essay speculating about superstar Taylor Swift’s sexuality has sparked outrage online, with some social media users calling for it to be retracted.
The 5,000-word guest column, published on the newspaper’s opinion page, revealed that the hugely popular singer had no idea he was gay, despite publicly identifying as straight. This suggests that he is sending a signal wrapped in
Neither the Times nor Swift’s representatives immediately responded to AFP’s requests for comment on the article or the backlash.
An anonymous Swift campaign official told CNN the column was “invasive, false and inappropriate.”
An essay by Anna Marks, editor of the NYT’s opinion section, lists the number of times Swift appears to have hinted that she was gay.
“In isolation, single hairpins are probably meaningless or coincidental, but taken together they are like a ballerina’s bun unrolling after a long performance,” Marks writes. .
“These fallen hairpins began appearing in Ms. Swift’s artistry long before queer identity was definitely marketable in mainstream America. It suggests that they are one of us.”
In 2022, Marks published a guest essay speculating on the gender identity of pop star Harry Styles, whom Swift was dating, and validating accusations of queerbaiting against him.
Marks begins Swift’s column by referencing the inner turmoil of queer country musician and activist Cherry Wright, who says she has remained reclusive for years for both career and personal reasons. There is.
After the essay’s publication, Wright denounced it as “provoking.”
“I was mentioned in this article so I’ll look into it,” Wright posted on his former Twitter account, X, over the weekend.
“I think @nytimes publishing was a terrible thing. What inspired me to read the book wasn’t that the author mentioned that my life was ending, but that the sexuality of a public person… It’s upsetting to see it being discussed.”
“Believe in people”
Swift continues her blockbuster “Ellas” tour and posted a 2023 banner for her leap into otherworldly stardom.
The 34-year-old has been openly dating NFL player Travis Kelce for months, and his football games are gaining new viewers as the cameras regularly focus on Swift.
Her dating life has long been the subject of tabloids, fans and her songwriting. Swift has been linked to celebrities including actors Tom Hiddleston, Jake Gyllenhaal and Joe Alwyn, as well as singer Styles, 1975 frontman Matt Healy and John Mayer. .
Swift herself has never publicly stated that she is queer, but speculation has continued for years.
She is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, saying in a 2019 interview with Vogue magazine, “I didn’t realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I wasn’t a part of.”
And in the prologue to the recent re-release of her album 1989, Swift admitted that in her 20s, she “stopped dating men” because of the media’s assumption that she slept with every man she spent time with. Looking back.
“I decided to stop dating and focus solely on myself, my music, my growth, and my female friendships,” she said. “If I’m only hanging out with my female friends, people can’t sensationalize it or sexualize it, right?”
“Later on, I realized that humans can do that, and humans do that too.”
Kayla Gagnet, director of digital content at Equal Pride, the umbrella brand for queer-focused media outlets such as The Advocate and Out, says that when it comes to celebrity news coverage, “pointing out the obvious signs is inherently problematic. No,” he said.
She told AFP that noticing signs of homosexuality was “no different” to what the media noticed before the two admitted Swift was dating Kelsey.
Meanwhile, Gagnet said the backlash to the Times essay “really focused not on reading queerness into her work, but on ignoring or downplaying what she herself said about it.” ” . ”
Pop culture fans are always interested in who celebrities are dating, she continued. “It’s natural to be interested in what that means about their sexuality.”
However, Gagnet told the Equal Pride outlet, “We believe when people tell us who they are.”
“And that’s true for queer people, straight people, and everyone in between.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
