#Gaylor swift x gay media

[jennyboom21]

As a football fan, it’s not uncommon to see big NFL stars date celebrities. When I was growing up in Pittsburgh, the Steelers’ quarterback Terry Bradshaw dated figure skater JoJo Starbuck. That was such a big deal at the time. For a brief period, they were the "it couple."

Now, that pairing seems so simple.

A few years ago quarterback Russell Wilson, when he was with the Seattle Seahawks, married global singing superstar Ciara. Before their nuptials, it was Tom Brady, who of course married supermodel Gisele Bündchen. Sadly, the two divorced last year. Then, Brady made big headlines in late summer with rumors he was dating another model, Irina Shayk.

That pairing seems so simple now.

This weekend, the Miami Dolphins scored 70 points in their win against the Denver Broncos, whose quarterback is Wilson. Presumably, Wilson was consoled by his famous wife after that embarrassing defeat. The Dolphins had a total offense of 726 yards, just nine yards short of the NFL's all-time record set by the Los Angeles Rams way back in 1951.

During any other weekend, the Dolphins's history-making win would dominate sports news, and spill into general news as well, because wins and yardage like that are unheard of, even in a league where high passing and high-scoring games are the norm.

Also on Sunday night, the plane carrying my beloved Steelers was forced to land in Kansas City, Mo., on their way back from Las Vegas after defeating the Raiders. That, too, would be huge sports news and general news, but alas, the emergency landing in Kansas City wasn't the biggest thing to even happen in that city on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Taylor Swift appeared in a private box at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, to watch the Chiefs manhandle the Chicago Bears 41-10. Presumably, Swift wasn’t there as a Chiefs fan or to watch the action. She was there to watch her new beau, the Chiefs's tight-end, Travis Kelce — who scored a touchdown probably just to show off. Images of Swift cheering and screaming for Kelce in that private box with his family almost crashed social media.

Is Swift dating Kelce? Well, who knows, and you might say, who cares? But, a lot of the world cares, to put it bluntly. Starbuck, Ciara, and Gisele pale in comparison to the enormity of Swift. If Swift decided to date a tree, that tree would become a top tourist destination.

It’s called the Swift effect; similar it seems to the Oprah effect. Everything Swift touches turns to gold. Swift walked hand-in-hand with Kelce out of Arrowhead Stadium Sunday after the game, and since then, sales of Kelce’s #87 Chiefs’ jersey have soared over 400 percent, according to TMZ.

This relationship between Swift and Kelce – whatever or however long it is – has also caused the interwebs to almost crash. Young women and young gay men around the world are Googling “Travis Kelce” to find out all they can about Swift’s new hunk of a football player boyfriend – or acquaintance?

Similarly, many of the gay “Swifties” I know were reaching out to me on Sunday about Kelce. They know I’m a football fan, so they had many questions for me; Is Kelce any good Where is he from? Who are the Chiefs? Is he a homophobe?

Kelce is good, in fact, he’s one of the best tight ends in the NFL. Kelce has an older brother, Jason who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. Their mother Donna has become somewhat of a celebrity herself. During the Super Bowl last year, where Travis’s team the Chiefs beat Jason's team, the Eagles, Donna was all over the place. The ultimate football mother. Happy for one son. Sad for the other. And now? After her picture alongside Swift ran wild over social media and the news on Sunday, Mrs. Kelce is the third biggest and current global superstar, behind Taylor and Travis.

As a side note, and for those who are obsessed with garnering as much knowledge about Kelce as they can get, this year’s Super Bowl win was his second win; the first being in 2020 when Kelce and the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers.

The Kelce brothers are creating a cottage industry for themselves. They have their own podcast, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, and they have a documentary, Kelce, on Prime Video that is more about Jason, with Travis making frequent appearances. It’s actually pretty good, even if you’re not a football fan. Not to be outdone by his brother, Travis had a reality show on E! called Catching Kelce, that featured 50 women from 50 states in a dating competition. I guess Taylor decided to wait until the dust cleared with that many women pining for Kelce?

There’s no doubt in the world that every Swifty is downloading all the episodes of that The Bachelor riff, so that they can find out how to catch Kelce too, or about how Swift caught Kelce.

Finally, Travis Kelce is anything but a homophobe. Kelce told Outsports at the 2017 Pro Bowl (this is the game that features the NFL’s best players) that he’d support a gay teammate. “Anybody in this world [can play]. I’m comfortable with who I am and I expect everyone to be comfortable with who they are. I respect people for their views and opinions.”

And here’s a story about why you can love Kelce even if you’re not a Swifty or even a Gaylor — which is a subgroup of Swift fans who believe Taylor Swift is actually queer. In July, Bud Light released a commercial starring Kelce. In any other year, that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow, but we all know what happened with Bud Light in April with the Dylan Mulvaney imbroglio, and Bud Light’s inexcusable reaction to the extreme right boycotting the beer.

In the face of that boycott, by angry cisgender straight white men who were shooting cans of Bud Light or pouring them down the drain, Kelce metaphorically flipped them the bird by swigging the beer. And for his bravery and f-you attitude towards the narrow-minded, they retaliated by calling for a boycott of Kelce and by calling him "woke." (How do you boycott a human being, let alone one that is 6’5” and weighs 250 pounds?) Kelce could have cared less about what they thought of him endorsing Bud Light. In fact, he was seen drinking the beer at a golf tournament soon after the ad was released.

This week, Kelce released a video announcing his partnership with Pfizer as part of an educational campaign to remind people to get their flu and COVID-19 vaccine shots, preferably at the same time. In his Instagram video, Kelce says, “With my schedule, saving time is key. The CDC says you can get this season’s updated COVID-19 shot when you get your flu shot if you’re due for both. That’s why I got two shots in one stop! Ask your doctor or pharmacist if it would be right for you. You can also visit CDC’s vaccines.gov to learn more and schedule an appointment.”

As you can imagine, the anti-vaxxers and the extreme right are horrified that Kelce is endorsing the same "phooey" and hawking the same “poisons” that their number one vaxxing nemesis Dr. Fauci championed. For his efforts, Kelce is a champion too.

Finally, Kelce hosted Saturday Night Live earlier this year after winning the Super Bowl, and appeared in a memorable sketch with Bowen Yang as his “Straight Male Friend,” as Yang's character seeks some balance after being the one gay guy in a group of straight women.

While the world tries to dissect Kelce in every imaginable way possible, as they scoop up his jersey in record numbers, we can take some solace in the fact that Kelce will have no problem with queer Swifties or even the Gaylors.

One of my gay Swifty friends asked me what the story is with Travis's hunky brother Jason. I was sorry to tell him that he is happily married to his wife Kylie, and that they have three young daughters who will be the envy of young girls worldwide some day soon, when they get a new Aunt Taylor.

[genzmilf]

god giveth and he taketh away.

now that I've had some distance, does the NYT piece seem over the top to me? actually no, it doesn't. the NYT piece literally analyzed song lyrics and pointed out instances of queer flagging (whether they were intentional or not). And honestly i don't think that's going too far. the course on taylor at HARVARD analyzes her lyrics from a queer lens, and I did a project my 2nd year of university doing the same thing. queer close reading is a respected academic discipline and i don't think that the NYT piece went too far.

but i do not think CNN needed to televise their story. It put the whole thing on blast and led to a LOT of online harassment. Whoever the anonymous source was should not have thrown Shawn Mendes under the bus, and the other news outlets that reported on the CNN piece didn't need to use words like "outraged".

And if Taylor really is "outraged" that someone might think she's queer than she isn't and never has been an ally to our community. I also think that if she truly was an ally she would come out and say something like "hey guys, I'm actually not queer", it really would not be that hard.

but truth be told i still believe she's queer because of how easy it would be to deny these rumors. and the fact that she hasn't, says to me that either she IS queer or she is not truly an ally to our community.

there has also been SO MUCH blatant homophobia in response to this story from both fans and reporters that it has honestly been so exhausting for me to be on social at all, which is why i haven't said anything until now

i'm disappointed in this whole situation, but this has brought gaylor into the mainstream. my gen x dad who isn't on any social media at all asked me if taylor swift is gay and that's a win in my book

[pashterlengkap]

Taylor Swift’s queer fans raise money for an LGBTQ+ cause just to spite her ex Matty Healy

Queer Taylor Swift fans have raised just over $5,000 for a California LGBTQ+ center in response to what they have characterized as a laughably small donation from the singer’s ex, Matty Healy. Earlier this month, a fan account devoted to The 1975 posted a photo to X of the band with frontman Healy holding a large check for $500 made out to the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center. The account noted in a subsequent post that the donation was made in the band’s name by Pechanga Arena, not by members of the band themselves. Related: Malaysia cancels music festival after Matty Healy from The 1975 kisses a man on stage “I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.” Correction: Pechanga Arena has made a donation in the name of The 1975, it’s not directly from the band themselves. Sorry for any misinformation.— The 1975 TH (@the1975_thteam) October 4, 2023 Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you: Subscribe to our Newsletter The paltry donation was quickly mocked by social media users, while queer Swifties—known as “Gaylors”—sprang into action. “Seeing a well-known band do a photo opp with one of those giant checks for only $500 was comical, but also a bit insulting,” a Gaylor identified as Marki told Teen Vogue. Marki explained that after seeing the photo posted by another Gaylor, identified as Bre, he commented that they should start their own fundraiser to outdo Healy. “It was an opportunity to harness the Gaylor community’s frustration [with Healy] into something positive,” Marki explained. “I think both queer culture and internet culture love a bit of snark, and if you aim spite in the right direction you can make it productive instead of destructive—and get a giggle out of it along the way.” Bre launched an online fundraiser for the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center earlier this month with the goal of raising $501. As of this week, the campaign has raised $5,005, slightly over ten times the amount donated on behalf of The 1975. “I decided to start this fundraiser because it got under my skin that someone who has been so harmful and awful to marginalized communities happily posed with a giant check for only $500 (as a multi-millionaire) donated in his honor,” Bre told Teen Vogue. “It felt insulting and disingenuous.” Swift’s rumored relationship with Healy became a sore spot for fans earlier this year. The “Anti-Hero” singer was first romantically linked with The 1975 singer in late 2014, but the couple reportedly reconnected briefly this spring. While neither musician ever publicly confirmed their relationship, Swift fans, particularly those who identify as LGBTQ+, took issue with the idea that the singer would date Healy, who has a history of trollish antics. While he has spoken out against police killings of Black people, misogyny, and toxic masculinity and is a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, he has also been criticized for doing a Nazi salute onstage during a performance of The 1975 song “Love It If We Made It,” which catalogs the outrages of the Trump presidency, and for a February 2023 appearance on The Adam Friedland Show in which he said he enjoyed watching pornography in which Black women are brutalized and laughed along as the hosts made offensive comments about rapper Ice Spice. Healy has since apologized for his appearance on the show. “The reaction from Swifties and fans of The 1975 has been indifferent or largely negative. Both groups hate the Gaylor community and anything we touch is hated by proxy,” Marki said of the fundraiser’s success. “There’s been a lot of criticism about [us] not doing it for the ‘right reasons’ or doing it out of spite. But… the LGBTQ+ community sees a lot of unreliable and performative allyship so we’re sensitive to that.” “When we come together it really is something magical,” he added. http://dlvr.it/SxwKP2

[bisluthq]

I speak from my own experience, it is very illusion to have TAYLOR SWIFT as a reference/inspiration/projection about our sexuality, regardless of her sexuality, these are completely different worlds and she will always be at the top of privilege, be a hard gaylor or just believing that Taylor would suffer 1% of what we gays suffer is just not worth it, this will never be a reality of that millionaire woman who is in a straight relationship. Basing our life on her life only ended in frustrations.

100%. Like I said to the other anon it’s normal to feel a bit envious or jealous of celebs who look like you’d like to and act like you’d like to and have cool lives and don’t seem to have the problems we have. And when one feels that way the logical thing to do is to distance yourself from that person for a while and come back when you’re feeling happier and are able to just use them as inspo and not like as validation.

With looking for representation, I think it’s best to find that in out celebs. Just in recent years, I’ve found Cara and Demi’s interviews super comforting. I’ve found Lil Nas X’s album and general vibe really comforting. I get that it’s different for me in that I’m going on like a decade out and my immediate family isn’t homophobic. But it’s just so comforting to see yourself reflected in media, in a way that I think inventing a backstory just won’t ever be. Speculation can be fun, but speculation isn’t representation.

[that-curly-haired-lesbian]

The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo + Taylor Swift: a master post - Part 6/6

Hi guys, welcome to the final part of my masterpost regarding parallels between Taylor Swift and Evelyn Hugo, the fictional actress from the book The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by author Taylor Jenkins Reid!

Before proceeding please be aware that there will be

 **MAJOR SPOILERS**

for the book ahead and please also read my disclaimer!

It’s very important that you read these in order so if you haven’t yet go ahead and check out the previous part right here, thank you and enjoy!

When Evelyn starts telling us about beard #6 she reveals that they got married in Joshua Tree (Pg. 295) which is you know, an actual place and all, but my first reaction was (perhaps understandably given this context)

“You got married WHERE, now?!” and then it took me quite a while to stop laughing and honestly, this is kind of too hilarious not to include!

Evelyn also points out on that same page that she wore an ocean-blue dress for the ceremony.

--

 Though Max Girard (beard #6 and legit husband #2) initially starts out as a non-bearding situation (in a desperate attempt to get over Celia) it soon becomes clear that Max doesn’t love Evelyn, he loves Evelyn Hugo™ He loves the idea of her more than the actual person, he loves the famous persona. Evelyn says:

  “I didn’t know how to tell him that I loved her too, but I wasn’t her.” (Pg. 298)

This is that age-old debate of Taylor vs. Taylor Swift™. The two are not the same person and sometimes it feels like (het in particular) fans have as hard a time as Max to make that distinction.

Taylor Swift the public persona isn’t Taylor Swift the person and that is perhaps the most true when it comes to Taylor’s actual love life vs. her fabricated one. There might not be a single fact more important to come to terms with in order to understand Gaylor Swift (and her reasons for being closeted) than that simple one. If you feel lost here, please go read this again!

--

    “When you’re known for being gorgeous, you can’ not imagine a faith worse        than standing next to someone and falling short.” (Pg. 299)

  And all the young things line up to take your place

--

In a letter to Celia:

  “I hope you will forgive me for being so blunt, but how did we make such a     mess of it all?” (Pg. 301)

Oh, we made quite a mess, babe

--

After years of being separated (yet again) Evelyn finally calls Celia and when they discuss the possibility of getting back together without having to hide Evelyn points out that:

                        “Everything has changed”

And as proof of this change she brings up the fact that Elton John is now proudly out (this part of her story is set in the late 80’s) to which Celia counters with:

  “’Elton John doesn’t have a child and a career based on audiences     believing he’s a straight man.” (Pg. 303)

Taylor may not have a kid, but she most certainly has a career based on audiences believing she’s a straight woman and that must be freaking terrifying!!

--

During that phone call Evelyn explains that she never stopped loving Celia and when Celia questions this by pointing out that Evelyn (in a non-bearding way) got married to someone else Evelyn explains:

  “’I married him because he helped me forget you,’ I said, “not because I     stopped loving you’” (Pg. 304)

He will try to take away my pain  And he just might make me smile  But the whole time I'm wishin' he was you instead

--

During a dinner following the phone conversation Evelyn tells Celia:

  “I spent my life hiding so no one would knock me off the mountain. Well, you     know what? I’m done hiding. Let them come and get me. They can throw me     down a well as far as I’m concerned.” (Pg. 313)

When Celia questions if Evelyn really means that Evelyn assures her that she does.

  “Any other line of thinking…It’s how I lost you. I don’t want to lose anymore.”

HELL YEAH, EVELYN IS DONE HIDING!! Also, the “I don’t want to lose anymore”-line reminds me of:

  Us traitors never win

And what I said about that line in my analysis of Getaway Car:

What she says I think is that people who pick their career over their love life won’t end up being happy, or “winning” at life in the long-run.

--

When Celia has made absolutely sure that Evelyn is truly ready to give it all up for her this time she suggests that they move to Spain together, she says she wants to spend her final years:

  “On a beautiful beach. With the love of a good woman.” (Pg. 314)

  Drinkin' on a beach with you all over me

--

When Evelyn leaves her sixth husband for Celia he is pissed off and threatens to out her and he does, to untrustworthy magazines and anyone who will listen. (No one believes him, but still) (Pg. 319)

The whole divorce is very bitter and the bitterness of it all kind of reminded me of one of Taylor’s particularly bad bearding situations.  But when Max goes so far as to basically say he made Evelyn’s career an even worse taste was left in my mouth……………..

--

In a conversation with Evelyn about their differing degrees of fame Harry says the following:

  “I’m only famous because you’re famous, Ev. They don’t care about me or     what  I’m doing unless it somehow relates to you.” (Pg. 321)

Here we once again have bearding 101, but also it reminded me of someone…

On page 325 Evelyn refers to Harry as:

   “My best friend, my family.”

And while this is obviously said platonically between those two it nonetheless made me think of something that I’m honestly still not over Taylor saying about Karlie!!

--

Towards the end of her career Evelyn meets a young man named Nick, he wants to be an actor and asks Evelyn for advice. She bitterly considers telling him:

  “You have to be willing to deny your heritage, to commodify your body, to lie     to good people, to sacrifice who you love in the name of what people will   think, and to choose the false version of yourself time and time again,   until you forget who you started out as or why you started doing it to   begin with.” (Pg. 326) (x)

--

Evelyn’s friend (and beard) Harry dies tragically in a car accident in 1989

While Taylor has always used the motif of cars/car rides in her music there are A LOT of car mentions on 1989, an album many het Swifties seem to believe to be about Harry Styles, interesting…

--

After Harry’s death Evelyn and Celia move to Spain together and out of the spotlight they finally get to openly be together and Evelyn “chose the rose garden over Madison Square” if you will and she was extremely happy. About her relationship with Celia during that time she says:

  “I cherished every moment we had to ourselves, every second I spent with my    arms around her.” (Pg. 344)

   When I get you alone it’s so simple

                           //

  I could've spent forever with your hands in my pockets

Evelyn describes her seventh husband and last beard (Celia’s brother) as so charming that most other women were:

  “Enchanted by him” (Pg.344)

Oddly specific word choice!

As happy as Celia and Evelyn were at this point in their lives something was hanging over them, Celia was sick and dying. Evelyn tells Monique that when Celia promised Evelyn she’d never leave her again:

    “We both knew she was making a promise she couldn’t keep.” (Pg. 346)

  Brokeeeeee the sweetest promISEEE that you neverrrrr should   have MADEEE

Listen to that you guys, that’s my goddamn heart breaking!!!

--

CELIA AND EVELYN’S WEDDING SCENE (pg. 347-349) IS SUPER SWEET!!!!!! A fun little detail is that New York (which is as we’ve previously established significant to the Kaylor relationship as well as the Evelyn and Celia one) was made relevant in a scene taking place in Spain (Celia’s shirt)

ALSO allow we to go into crazy fanfic territory here, but can’t you just IMAGINE the “we can get married”-conversation happening between Taylor and Karlie when same-sex marriage became legalized nationwide????

All wlw just want a wife #ConfirmedOnPage349

Seriously, if you wanna be punched in the feels today go read the wedding scene and imagine Kaylor in Evelyn and Celia’s place. (No one is sick in the Kaylor version, but they are deeply closeted and still at the height of their careers) oh, my fragile, gay heart!!

--

When Celia does die from her illness Evelyn describes her reaction with:

      “I fell to the floor.” (Pg. 350)

  I'm HERE on the KITCHEN flooOOOOr 

Don’t TOUCH MEEEEEE

After Celia’s death Evelyn truly stops hiding in the closet:

     “I could not keep my true self from coming out.” (Pg. 353)

  “It cost so much, caring. I didn’t have any currency to spend on it.” (Pg. 354)

  “People were still easily distracted from seeing how I felt about Celia St.     James, but this time was different because I wasn’t hiding anything. The truth   had been there for them to grab if they’d paid attention.”

  “But of course they got it wrong. They never did care about getting it right. The    media are going to tell whatever story they want to tell. They always have.     They always will.”

To me this is the essence of the Reputation era, Taylor having realized that she can’t make the media she the truth so she just avoids them and tells the truth to those of us who are paying attention. This time it’s different, because she isn’t hiding anything.

  There will be no further explanation. There will be just reputation

--

Evelyn saying it made her happy to spend money on her loved ones (Pg. 356) makes me think of Taylor being so extra with the fans ❤

--

  “No one is just a victim or a victor. That’s Evelyn Hugo for you, somewhere     in the middle.” (Pg. 366)

--

   “She’s painfully human to me now.” (Pg. 371)

Is that Monique saying that about Evelyn Hugo after finding out her true life story or is it me saying it about Taylor Swift after falling down the Gaylor rabbit hole? No one knows for sure…

--

  “Evelyn is going to die when she wants to and she wants to die now.” (Pg.375)

  I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now (Ooh, look what you made me do)  Why? (Look what you made me do)  Oh, 'cause she's dead!

                                //

  in the death of her reputation she felt truly alive

                     The huge difference between the death of Taylor Swift and the death of Evelyn Hugo is that Evelyn’s death is literal and Taylor’s is figurative.

Despite this Evelyn’s death is somehow every bit as cinematic as Taylor who just recently killed off her reputation in order to feel truly alive. They’re both still doing it on their own terms, literally controlling the narrative that is their lives up until their last breaths (figurative as well as literal)

  “Evelyn trusts me with her story. Evelyn trusts me with her death.” (Pg. 377)

Just as Taylor is trusting us with the death of her false reputation and the truth of her actual story and narrative.

  “The tears that come out of me feel as if they were decades in the making. It     feels as if some old version of me is leaking out, letting go, saying good-bye in     the effort of making room for a new me. Somehow both more cynical about   people and more optimistic about my place in the world” (Pg. 377-378)

Okay so this is a lot and it hit me right in the heart! I can only imagine this is just how Taylor felt when she decided that killing of her old reputation and public image was the right move. After everything that happen to her just before she decided to take a break to figure that stuff out (and everything that has happened for her entire career as far as bearding and hiding goes)I bet those tears felt decades (or at least a decade) in the making when they finally came. After all she’s been through in the industry since the age of 16 it’s no wonder if she feels cynical about people, but after taking the break to figure it out and deciding to COME out I’m sure she also feels optimistic now that she’s on the road to being herself publicly. She’s found her place in this world as out and proud and now she’s working towards getting to that place every day.

All these years she’s just been trying to find a place in this world and oh, Taylor, I am so glad you’ve found it! ❤

It must be such a relief to have made up your mind, to not have to be afraid anymore.

   “There’s still so much I don’t know about my father. Maybe he was gay. Maybe    he saw himself as straight, but in love with one man. Maybe he was bisexual.     Or a host of other words. But it really doesn’t matter, that’s the thing.” (Pg. 380)

This is an interesting quote, to Evelyn the word bisexual mattered a lot and to Celia the word lesbian did, as for Monique’s father we don’t know what he would have said on the matter concerning his own identity because he’s been dead since long before the book started. Ultimately Monique comes to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter what her father would’ve identified as, as long as she knew he loved her (which it has been shown throughout the book that he undeniably did.)

In the same way we could argue all day about whether Taylor is gay or bi or straight or a “a host of other words” for the time being we’re in much the same position as Monique, Taylor hasn’t told us and it’s not like we can just ask her, but does it matter? We all love Taylor and we know that she loves us. Her being in love with women and writing her songs about them instead of the men we were lead to believe were her muses doesn’t change that. In the end it’s not a big deal whether Taylor is gay or straight, we still love her, we came for her music that we related to and loved and then we ended up staying for Taylor, the person, because we fell in love with her and her storytelling. Who she loves doesn’t change that.  We love her and she loves us and that’s all that matters.

--

On page 382 GLAAD is mentioned by name as an organization that Evelyn gave most of her fortune to after her death.

The piece Monique ends up writing about Evelyn for Vivant summarizes the main theme of the both and to me it also summarizes what Gaylor Swift is about:

The TRUTH behind the SCANDAL that was her love life.

(Pg. 385)

And now for the final piece in this puzzle

And all our pieces fall  Right into place

🌈 🌈 🌈

--

Thank you SO much for reading all of these masterposts, I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed reading that amazing book and writing all of these parts!

[jennyboom21]

Taylor Swift is the kind of lyricist that can crack your heart open like a geode, to reveal the sparkling crystals of emotion you never knew were inside of you. There’s a scene in her Netflix documentary Miss Americana, released way back in January 2020, where she’s in the studio with Jack Antonoff and writing “Getaway Car” for Reputation. The words “put the money in the bag and I stole the key, that was the last time you ever saw me” tumble out of Swift’s mouth so fast, I’m not convinced they were not divinely delivered into her brain. What I’m saying is: This is a person who knows how to write a song, who is intentional in her word choice; a person who Jake Gyllenhaal kept like a secret, while Swift kept him like an oath. “You can’t spell ‘awesome’ without ‘me’” is a line we probably all could have done without ever hearing, but even in the candy-coated schlock of a song that is Lover lead single “ME!,” Swift understood the assignment. She is a songwriter that knows exactly what she is doing when she puts pen to paper.

To doubt that, at this point, is simply to hold onto an era from years past where hating Taylor Swift was a personality trait. Say what you will about her—though not to me, I don’t want to hear it—but the woman knows how to write exactly what she means in her songs. Which is why I can’t stop thinking about several lines from her new album, a re-recording of 2012’s Red. One of the songs”from the vault”—new tracks, for those who don’t speak Swift—on Red (Taylor’s Version) is a catchy number called “The Very First Night.” It’s about a secret love from the past and longing to go back in time, and at first listen, it’s a song that’s very fun to dance around to in your living room while jumping up and down as quietly as you can, because it’s 12:45 a.m. and you have neighbors.

The pre-chorus goes like this: “They don’t know about the night in the hotel/ They weren’t ridin’ in the car when we both fell/ Didn’t read the note on the Polaroid picture/ They don’t know how much I miss you.” The way the lyrics scan, my brain immediately wanted them to be a simple AABB rhyme scheme. Even without knowing the words to the song, I wanted that final word to rhyme with “picture.” What pronoun rhymes with “picture” you might ask? “Her.”

Didn’t read the note on the Polaroid pictures. They don’t know how much I miss her. Listening to it with that in mind feels like a fakeout, our ears led right up to an expected convection, only to have it ripped away at the last second. Swift does it a second time later in the song, rhyming “whispered” with “you.”

If you know anything about Swiftdom, it may not surprise you that there are two camps that are having it out over this particular song currently. These are the Hetlors (“het” as in heterosexual), who are fans that affirm Taylor Swift’s straightness and frown upon queer interpretations of her lyrics, and the Gaylors, who are, well, the opposite. (That’s “gay” as in … duh.) The first group is insistent in its belief that these lyrics don’t rhyme because that’s exactly how Taylor wanted them to be; some even think the song might specifically be about Harry Styles. The second group also agrees that the words don’t rhyme, but it’s because Taylor is hiding the song’s true message. (Swift self-identifies as straight, but for years rumors, fueled by clues seemingly left by Swift herself, have swirled about her sexuality.) On TikTok, queer fans have already edited the track to have what they deem the correct word in the lyrics, while questioning its current state.

What Swift is doing is employing a classic songwriting trope, sometimes called a teasing rhyme, which is a name that feels apt for what’s happening here. In Frozen, for example—another work that’s constantly pored over for its queer undertones—there’s a song sung by a talking snowman obsessed with summer and who has no idea he’ll melt in above freezing temperatures. “Winter’s a good time to stay in and cuddle,” he sings. “But put me in summer and I’ll be a … happy snowman.” “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, as pointed out on TikTok, offers a less G-rated version of a tease: “Now they’re going to bed and my stomach is sick/ And it’s all in my head, but she’s touching his … chest.” It’s a neat little trick to mess with a listener’s head to make us pay attention. We all know these words were supposed to be “puddle” and “dick;” doing it this way creates a little inside joke between artist and fan.

Swift knows the words“picture” and “you” don’t rhyme. She knows that you could fudge it and make them “pict-cha” and “ya,” to scan a little more cleanly. But she chose not to do that—which is, in itself, saying something. Parts of the fandom think it’s unfair to Swift to speculate about her sexuality, but Swift is an artist known for baking in codes and Easter eggs into her word and her brand. She’s known for everything from capitalizing certain letters in her liner notes spelling out secret messages, to wearing particular outfits to send signals about album releases. (A purple velvet suit worn at the premiere of her short film for “All Too Well [Taylor’s Version] [10 Minute Version]” has certain Swifties thinking the next album she’ll re-release will be Speak Now, because the original album art for that one was purple, while the 1989 model car used in the film itself has other fans thinking 1989 will be next up.)

During the Lover era, Swift debuted her single “ME!” on Good Morning America, following an interview with the one and only gay icon Robin Roberts. In the video for “You Need to Calm Down,” the album’s next single, Swift’s hair is dyed the colors of the bisexual flag, and the cast is chockfull of various queer celebs. (These were also the same colors of her short manicured fingernails, seen in a teaser for Lover she posted to Instagram.) As an artist who does, by her own admission, nothing unintentionally, it’s hard not to, as a queer fan, want to read those things as clues, too.

Maybe they are. In the deepest, gayest chamber of my heart … I want those clues to be real. But we just don’t know who or what Taylor truly is deep down, no matter the signs we think we see. But what we do know is that Taylor Swift wrote the lyrics to “The Very First Night” with lyrics that could be easily interpreted as teasing. I get a kick thinking about her sitting down and writing a verse she knew would drive a not-insignificant portion of her fanbase absolutely mad over its implications. (Yes, I know these “From the Vault” songs were ostensibly written pre-2012, but I am willing to believe they got a little zhuzh in 2021.) How nice to have a little joke just between me, Taylor, and a million of her other biggest fans. Even if the lyrics to this song left queer fans in dismay, one can’t deny Taylor Swift is … talented.