Taylor Swift insiders disappointed by New York Times article speculating about her sexuality: ‘Invasive, false and inappropriate’

CNN
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This week, CNN reported that a controversial New York Times op-ed openly speculating whether Taylor Swift is a secret queer person drew the ire of those close to the pop superstar. I found out through research.

“There’s a Taylor-sized hole in people’s ethics at this point because of her huge success,” a person close to the situation told CNN on condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “This article would not have been allowed to be written about Shawn Mendes or any other male artist whose sexuality has been questioned by fans.”

“Some journalists write about Taylor, no matter how invasive, false, or inappropriate, even though it’s all under the protective veil of ‘opinion writing.’ , it seems there is no line that cannot be crossed,” the source added.

In a 5,000-word article written for the Times’ Opinion column, editor Anna Marks pieced together a long list of LGBTQ references – some overt, some acknowledged. There’s also — Swift is woven into her songs and performances. Marks, she said, suggested that Swift has probably been trying to show that she empathizes with the queer community for years.

“In isolation, single hairpin falls are probably meaningless or accidental, 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 the American mainstream. They reminded gay people that she was one of us too. I’m hinting that there is.”

Swift has embraced the LGBTQ community in the past, standing up for her fans and calling her concerts a “safe space” for LGBTQ people amid a record number of anti-gay bills being introduced across the country. I’m calling. However, she denied that she is a member of the LGBTQ community. In a 2019 interview with Vogue, Swift said she was just trying to be a good ally to the LGBTQ community as their rights are under attack.

“It’s basically disenfranchising everyone who isn’t a straight, white, cisgender man,” Swift told the magazine. “I didn’t realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I’m not a part of.”

Swift also revealed in the prologue to her re-recorded album “1989,” which was released last year, that she is surrounded by female friends as society constantly speculates about whether she is romantically involved with the men she is with in public. It says that it is.

“If I’m only hanging out with my female friends, people can’t sensationalize it or sexualize it, right? Later on, they realize that humans can do that, and humans can do that, too. You will find out,” she wrote.

It is highly unusual for a reputable news outlet like the Times to publish an article speculating about the sexuality of a person, let alone a very culturally significant figure who had previously denied the innuendo. Such articles are widely considered inappropriate, and the Times received some criticism from readers for its decision to publish the article in Swift.

Marks appears to be aware of the article’s dubious claims, pre-empting critics in the article, writing: About discussion. ”

“I share many of these reservations,” Marks wrote. “But the stories that dominate our collective imagination shape what our culture should say and be to artists and their audiences. Every time it’s gone, that signal disappears. To recognize the possibility of queerness is to keep that signal alive, even while being aware of the difference between possibility and certainty.”

A Times spokesperson declined to comment directly on the criticism from Swift’s associates, pointing out that Marks had written about the issue in a published essay.