Taylor Swift's Team Frustrated with New York Times Article on Her Personal Life: Disrespectful, Inaccurate, and Untimely
Taylor Swift's associates express outrage over a New York Times article that invasively and inaccurately speculates about her sexuality
A recent controversial opinion piece in The New York Times has sparked backlash from Taylor Swift's team after it openly speculated about whether the pop superstar is a closeted queer person, CNN has learned.
"Due to her immense success, there is currently a Taylor-shaped gap in people's morals," said a source close to the situation who requested anonymity to speak openly with CNN. "This article would not have been written about Shawn Mendes or any male artist who has had questions raised about their sexuality by fans."
The person added that there appears to be no limit to the invasive, untrue, and inappropriate boundaries some journalists will cross when writing about Taylor, all under the guise of an opinion piece. Editor Anna Marks wrote a 5,000-word piece in The Times opinion section, compiling a lengthy list of LGBTQ references that Swift has incorporated into her songs and performances. Marks implied that Swift may have been attempting to signal her identification with the queer community for years.
"In isolation, a single dropped hairpin may seem insignificant or accidental. However, when considered together, they symbolize the unraveling of a ballerina bun after a long, graceful performance," Marks explained. "These dropped hairpins have been present in Ms. Swift's artistry long before mainstream America fully embraced queer identity. They serve as a nod to queer individuals, signaling that she is one of us."
Previously, Swift has openly supported the LGBTQ community, speaking out in defense of her fans during a surge of anti-gay legislation across the country. She has declared her concerts to be a "safe space" for LGBTQ individuals. However, she has clarified that she does not identify as a member of the LGBTQ community. In a 2019 interview with Vogue magazine, Swift stated that she strives to be a supportive ally to the LGBTQ community as their rights face challenges.
"Many people, especially those who are not straight, white, and cisgender men, are having their rights taken away," Swift shared with the magazine. "I've only recently come to understand that I can stand up for a community that I'm not a member of."
In the prologue of her re-recorded "1989" album, released last year, Swift wrote about surrounding herself with female friends due to society's constant speculation about her relationships with men she was seen with in public.
"If I only associated with my female friends, no one could sensationalize or sexualize that, right? I later learned that people could and would," she expressed.
It is surprising that a respected news outlet like The Times would publish an article speculating about someone's sexuality, especially when the person in question has denied such assumptions in the past. Such articles are generally seen as inappropriate, and The Times faced criticism from its readers for choosing to publish the piece on Swift.
Acknowledging the questionable claims made in the article, Marks took the preemptive step of addressing critics by stating, "I understand that discussing a star's potential queerness before an official declaration of identity may seem too scandalous and gossip-driven to be worth considering."
"I have my own reservations about this," Marks admitted. "However, the narratives that dominate our collective imagination influence what our culture allows artists and their audiences to express and embody. Every time an artist hints at queerness and that hint is ignored, it diminishes the significance of that signal. Acknowledging the potential for queerness while being mindful of the distinction between potential and certainty keeps that signal relevant."
A spokesperson for The Times declined to comment directly on the criticism from Swifts associates and pointed to what Marks wrote in the published essay about the matter.
