Taylor Swift’s new Pride-themed single causes an ‘influx’ of GLAAD donations after she name checks the organization in the song
- Taylor Swift released new single You Need to Calm Down Thursday night
- A lyric asks: ‘Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD?’
- GLAAD says that it has now received an ‘influx’ of donations in $13 increments
- It’s thought the donations are from fans, as 13 is Swift’s favorite number
- Swift was said to have made a large donation to the group to mark Pride Month
Taylor Swift’s newly-released single, You Need to Calm Down, which takes aim at anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, has led to an ‘influx’ of GLAAD donations.
Since the single’s debut Thursday, the LGBTQ advocacy group told NBC News that it has been receiving a plethora of donations for $13, which it believes to be a reference to Swift’s favorite number, 13.
Among the song’s lyrics are the lines ‘And control your urges to scream about all the people you hate/’Cause shade never made anybody less gay’ and ‘Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD?’
Taylor Swift’s new single, You Need to Calm Down, which features anti-LGBTQ rhetoric lyrics, is said to have led to an ‘influx’ of donations to GLAAD in $13 increments
GLAAD, which was name checked in the song, believes the donations are from Swift’s fans as 13 is her favorite number
Just to be clear that Swift was talking about the advocacy group and not just the act of being glad, the song’s accompanying lyric video specifically spells out the term ‘GLAAD.’
The spelling did not go unnoticed by the group as it tweeted out Thursday night, ‘did @taylorswift13 just -‘ along with screengrabs of the lyrics in question.
In a statement emailed to NBC News, GLAAD’s direct of talent engagement, Anthony Ramos, said that the fact that Swift ‘continues to use her platform and music to support the LGBTQ community … is a true sign of being an ally.’
Ramos added that ‘”You Need to Calm Down” is the perfect Pride anthem, and we’re thrilled to see Taylor standing with the LGBTQ community to promote inclusivity, equality, and acceptance this Pride month.’
On Friday, GLAAD tweeted that it had created three limited edition stickers to go along with one time gift donations.
GLAAD tweeted about being mentioned in Swift’s music video on Thursday night
Swift made sure that fans knew she was talking about the organization in the song’s lyric video
The day after the single was released, GLAAD tweeted that it had created a series of stickers which would be given to people who made $13 one-time donations
‘You could be GLAAD with a limited edition sticker invoking @taylorswift13’s lyrics from #YouNeedToCalmDown. They’ll sell out quickly, so reserve yours right now!’ the tweet said.
One of designs would be given out for a $13 donation, but all three designs could be had for donations of $25.
GLAAD noted that Swift had made a ‘very generous donation’ to the organization at the start of the month as a way of honoring Pride Month.
Although Swift had kept a relatively low political profile for most of her career, she began actively speaking out about LGBTQ political advocacy during the 2018 midterm elections.
Since then, she is said to have donated $113,000 — another reference to her favorite number — to the Tennessee Equality Project, which seeks to fight a series of anti-LGBTQ bills in her home state.
Rolling Stone reported that Swift sent a handwritten note to the organization’s executive director accompanying the April donation, writing: ‘I’m so inspired by the work you do, specifically in organizing the recent petition of Tennessee faith leaders against the ‘slate of hate’ in our state legislature. I’m so grateful that they’re giving all people a place to worship.’
On June 1, the first day of Pride Month, Swift took to Instagram with a lengthy post, in which she wished her fans a happy Pride Month, then took the opportunity to encourage people to write letters to their senators explaining why they should pass the Equality Act, which had already been passed by the House.
She accompanied the post with an image of the letter that she had written Tennessee senator, Republican Lamar Alexander.
That same night, Swift performed at an iHeart Wango Tango concert in Los Angeles while wearing a rainbow colored outfit, encouraging fans to contact their senators to appeal to them about passing the Equality Act, according to Reuters.