Swift's tour is currently in Chicago.
Taylor Swift delivered a powerful message to kick off Pride Month at her Eras Tour in Chicago, Illinois, telling her LGBTQ+ fans they're in a "safe space."
The 33-year-old singer said during a break in her performance at Soldier Field on Friday night that looking out at the crowd she's "seeing so many incredible individuals who are living authentically and beautifully." Thursday was the start of Pride Month and Swift's Chicago tour stop began Friday night.
"And this is a safe space for you," she added. "This is a celebratory space for you. And one of the things that makes me feel so prideful is getting to be with you and watching you interact with each other. Being so loving and so thoughtful and so caring. And so, being with you during Pride Month, getting to sing the words 'You Need to Calm Down' where there are lyrics like, 'can you just not step on his gown' or 'shade never made anybody less gay.'"
The crowd roared as Swift continued applauding the "solidarity" she witnessed in the crowd.
"There’s such support of one another. There’s such encouraging and beautiful acceptance and peace and safety," she said. "And I wish that every place was safe and beautiful for people of LGBTQ community. They are loving who they want to love, they are identifying how they identify, and allies who get to support them in and celebrate them in that. This is a safe space for you. This is a celebratory space for you. And one of the things that makes me feel so prideful is getting to be with you, and watching you interact with each other, and being so loving, and so thoughtful, and so caring."
The singer, who is active about driving the younger vote, then referenced legislation devastating the LGTBQ+ community, such as in her home state of Tennessee, where lawmakers instituted a ban on public drag performances before a Donald Trump-appointed federal judge on Friday ruled the ban unconstitutional.
"We can’t talk about pride without talking about pain. Right now ... and in the recent years, there have been so many harmful pieces of legislation that have put people in the LGBTQ and queer community at risk," she continued. "It's painful for everyone, every ally, every loved one, every person in these communities, and that's why I'm always posting, 'This is when the midterms are. This is when these important key primaries are.'"
"We can support as much as we want during Pride Month," she added, "but if we're not doing our research on these elected officials: Are they advocates? Are they allies? Are they protectors of equality?"
Also on Friday night, Swift's rumored boyfriend Matty Healy kissed a man on the lips during The 1975's performance of "Robbers" while at the 2023 NorthSide Festival in Denmark.
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