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Taylor Swift speaks out in support of Equality Act, LGBTQ+ community

It’s been around for four years, but the Equality Act has really picked up steam since Taylor Swift put her star power behind it. So what is it?
Credit: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP
Taylor Swift accepts the video of the year award for "You Need to Calm Down" at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center on Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, in Newark, N.J. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Equality Act was first introduced in 2015.  It simply states that under the law it is illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

This law will protect members of the LGBTQ+ community under the law. 

It also will prevent religious freedom from being used in civil rights context, meaning one can’t discriminate against another based upon their religious beliefs. 

Monday’s 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift won an award for Video of the Year for her new music video “You Need to Calm Down,” from her new album “Lover.” After her performance, she dedicated the entirety of her acceptance speech talking about the Equality Act and calling out the Trump administration for not responding to her petition to instate the bill.

She said the petition now has 500,000 signatures, which is five times the amount needed to initiate an official response from the White House.  At the time of the VMAs, the White House had not yet responded, despite the fact that the petition was released with “You Need to Calm Down” back in June. 

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Soon after the awards took place the White House responded to the petition, stating, "The Trump Administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, the House-passed bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.”

There have been drastic differences in opinion concerning the Equality Act between the right and left sides, but at this time it is unclear whether the bill will be passed as a law. 

Here is a link to the petition.

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