But what could have been going on in the head of Anna Marks who, in a very long text published in the opinion pages of the New York Timesmultiplies the “clues” suggesting that Taylor Swift is lesbian or bisexual?
This 5,000-word text, published on January 4 in the American daily and entitled “Look What We Made Taylor Swift Do,” is an endless string of speculative hypotheses that attempt to convince us that the most popular singer on the planet at the moment is part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Let’s be frank, under the pretext of seriously addressing the subject of homophobia, Anna Marks isouting, a practice that I consider totally unacceptable. Of course I find it a shame that personalities (and I know several) refuse to speak publicly about their homosexuality. But it is their right. It is not up to anyone to makeouting or to insinuate, as we do with Taylor Swift, that a person is hiding their true nature.
If Taylor Swift is lesbian or bisexual, that’s her business, period. And if she’s a straight person comfortable in her skin who wants to express her support for the LGBTQ+ community, that’s her business too.
But please, let’s not fall into a witch hunt wrapped in intellectual theories on homophobia (which is what Anna Marks does).
To support her idea, the author of this guest essay first returns to Chely Wright, an American country music singer who had to wait years before “coming out of the closet” because the environment in which she evolved was hostile to artists who were part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Anna Marks takes the words of Chely Wright and comes to the conclusion that we need role models and heroes. I agree. “What if this hero’s name was Taylor Swift?” ”, she asks.
The author then dives into troubled waters by multiplying the examples of texts or gestures which, according to her, demonstrate that Taylor Swift is not really heterosexual. Reading this text literally gives you hallucinations.
Anna Marks points out that on April 26, Lesbian Visibility Day, Taylor Swift released the first single from the album Me in which she sings about self-love and self-acceptance.
She also recalls that on June 14, when we were marking the 50the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the singer released the video of You Need to Calm Down in which she and celebrities queer (the hosts of QueerEyeEllen DeGeneres, Billy Porter, Hayley Kiyoko, etc.) express their fight against homophobia.
If we had to speculate on the sexual orientation of personalities, columnists and artists every time they spoke on the subject, we would never end it.
And if we had to dissect the texts of the songs to try to know if this or that artist is gay, bi or non-binary, we would sink into delirium. Perhaps under the guise of the famous “lady in blue” by Michel Louvain was a man hiding? Maybe also in his song Dangerous attraction, Marie-Mai places coded messages. So go figure!
It’s not new that rumors are circulating about Taylor Swift’s sexual orientation. His friendship with model Karlie Kloss gave rise to the term “Kaylor”. Now that both women have distanced themselves, those who like to entertain the idea that Taylor Swift is a lesbian are using the phrase “Gaylor.”
The publication of Anna Marks’ text obviously arouses a lot of reactions. The singer’s admirers are going wild on social networks. Some are calling for the text to be removed. THE New York Times and Taylor Swift have not followed up on this matter. The article, however, was deemed “intrusive, inaccurate and inappropriate” by a person in Taylor Swift’s entourage, CNN reported.
This is not the first time that Anna Marks has spoken about the question of the vagueness that can surround a personality’s sexual orientation. In August 2022, she signed a text about the singer Harry Styles (“Harry Styles Walks a Fine Line”) in which she wonders if the singer is gay or if he practices queerbaitinga tactic that serves to appeal to the LGBTQ+ audience.
Anna Marks’ text on Taylor Swift is not without interest, far from it. It addresses many facets of homophobia and the importance of LGBTQ+ role models from all walks of life.
We have seen it in recent years. The more positive examples of gays, lesbians, bisexuals or transgender people appear in the public space, the more prejudices fall.
And the more a form of trivialization sets in in the media, in the workplace, in families and networks of friends. A gay couple in a mainstream television series has become a common thing these days, at least in Quebec. Isn’t that great?
But it is not by forcing the hand and practicingouting, whether it is founded or not, that we will get things done.
By writing this text, the author places Taylor Swift in an unfortunate situation. If the singer does not react or refutes the published hypotheses, “Gaylor” followers will believe even more that she is hiding her homosexuality or that she is denying the LGBTQ+ community.
And if she enters into the game of explaining her texts and her gestures, she is forced to stupidly say that as a heterosexual artist, she has the right to be an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
Which seems completely outdated to me in 2024.