There is a lot to talk about in Taylor Swift’s new video for “You Need to Calm Down.” And not just the fact that she and Katy Perry showed their renewed friendship by hugging it out while wearing “happy meal” suits.
Just like her first song off Lover, “Me!,” this video is pastel and rainbow-themed. It also features an all-star cast including Laverne Cox, The Fab Five, Todrick Hall, Billy Porter, RuPaul’s Drag Race alum, RuPaul himself, Ryan Reynolds—the list goes on and on.
All throughout, you’ll see LGBT themes like same-sex marriage, a painting of the Stonewall Inn, anti-gay protesters, and even a quote from LGBT icon Cher.
What really stood out is the message at the end: “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally.” She also linked to her Change.org petition for the US Senate to support the passage of the Equality Act.
According to Vox, the Equality Act aims to protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination in the workplace, housing, public accommodations, and other settings. First introduced in 2015, the bill was recently passed in the US House of Representatives and it’s now in the fate of the Senate.
This is important because not all states have set anti-discrimination laws. Meaning, certain establishments and workplaces can ban people based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.
The Equality Act is also similar to our own Anti-Discrimination Bill, aka the SOGIE Equality Bill. The only difference is our bill didn’t move forward and will have to be refiled in the next Congress. But I digress.
As of writing, “You Need to Calm Down” now has over 14 million views. Hopefully that’s enough people to push the US Senate to pass the Equality Act.
Featured image screengrabbed from YouTube
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