If you've been following Taylor Swift's career over the past few months, then you know that she's become VERY outspoken in her support for LGBTQ equality.
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She publicly endorsed LGBTQ-friendly politicians, started a Change.org petition to pass the Equality Act, and even released a delightfully queer song and music video, "You Need To Calm Down."
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For many people, this has all come as a big surprise. Given Taylor's country music roots and her notable silence during the 2016 election, many wondered if she was conservative.
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And in a candid new interview with Vogue, Taylor says it was a disturbing moment with her friend Todrick Hall that made her realize she needed to speak out more.
“Maybe a year or two ago, Todrick and I are in the car," Taylor said. "And he asked me, 'What would you do if your son was gay?'”
According to Taylor, the question "shocked" her:
The fact that he had to ask me...shocked me and made me realize that I had not made my position clear enough or loud enough. If my son was gay, he’d be gay. I don’t understand the question.
And, as Taylor described it to Vogue, if her own best friend thought she might have a problem with gay people, did her fans wonder about that, too?
“If he was thinking that, I can’t imagine what my fans in the LGBTQ community might be thinking."
“It was kind of devastating to realize that I hadn’t been publicly clear about that," she added.
Taylor's newfound outspokenness has already done some real good. Not only did she create a massive spike in voter registrations before the midterm elections, but her Change.org petition in support of the Equality Act (which you can sign here) has nearly half a million signatures.
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