Taylor Swift Shames ‘Hate’ in Pride Month Song: ‘Why Are You Mad When You Could Be GLAAD?’

Pop superstar turned activist Taylor Swift made good on her promise to provide fans music sprinkled with “political undertones,” releasing a new song targeting LGBT “hate” just in time for Pride Month.

The new song, “You Need to Calm Down,” does not to appear to be a typical “Swifty” number. The track is largely a message to those who oppose the current culture’s mass celebration and embrace of the LGBT movement.

“Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD,” the lyrics read.

Taylor Swift even goes on to describe those who hold different views as living in the “dark ages.”

Sunshine on the street at the parade
But you would rather be in the dark ages
Making that sign
Must’ve taken all night

That is not the only instance. The lyrics continue:

You just need to take several seats and then try to restore the peace
And control your urges to scream about all the people you hate
‘Cause shade never made anybody less gay

Her album, “Lover,” is set to be released Aug. 23.

Swift, who had remained largely silent on controversial social justice and political matters for the majority of her career, recently decided that she has a newfound duty to speak out. She made headlines after attacking Sen. Marsha Blacburn (R-TN) during the 2018 midterm elections.

 

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I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting!

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Oct 7, 2018 at 4:33pm PDT

Despite Swift’s efforts, Blackburn won the election. That, however, was just the beginning of Swift’s political awakening.

“I’m finding my voice in terms of politics. I took a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government that are signing off on bills that affect our day-to-day life,” she told Elle in March.

“I saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at risk, and felt like I had to speak up to try and help make a change. Only as someone approaching 30 did I feel informed enough to speak about it to my 114 million followers,” she continued.

“Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders, and I realized that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric,” she added. “I’m going to do more to help. We have a big race coming up next year.”

Swift previously confirmed that her upcoming album would have noticeable “political undertones.”

“I definitely think there are political undertones in the new music I made,” Swift told the German outlet RTL. “I’m not planning to stop encouraging young people to vote and to try to get them to talk about what’s going on in our country.”

“I think that’s one of the most important things I could do,” she added.