Published on January 10, 2024, 12:55 am

Taylor Swift’s team has expressed their discontent over a recent op-ed in the New York Times that hinted at the possibility of the singer identifying as “queer”. Apparently, there seems to be no line some journalists won’t cross when it comes to writing about Taylor, no matter how invasive, false, or inappropriate it proves to be; all nestled under the safe umbrella of an ‘opinion piece,’ as reported by CNN Business, according to Page Six.

The enormous success enjoyed by Swift appears to have resulted in an ethical void when it comes to reporting on her. An anonymous insider added that due to her overwhelming popularity, people seem to cast aside their morals.

The opinion article was published recently and majorly insinuates that the Grammy-winning pop star has discreetly been incorporating clues regarding her sexual orientation for her fans within her work. This hypothesis builds on Swift’s widely recognized habit of embedding ‘Easter eggs’ – hidden messages or features – in song lyrics, music videos, and even social media posts for eagle-eyed followers.

Anna Marks penned this particular piece and offers readers what she regards as ‘evidence’ indicating Swift’s potential alignment with the LGBTQ community at various points in time. She refers to these subtle hints as “dropped hairpins”, a term used colloquially to mean dropping hints about being LGBTQ.

Analyzing such dropped hairpins individually might give off a sense of meaninglessness or accidentality but, collectively reviewed, they take on the form of a ballerina bun unraveling post-performance concludes Marks. She believes these dropped hairpins began making appearances in Swift’s artistry long before queer identity became marketable in mainstream America; thus indicating that she may be part of our community.

Marks then details elements where Swift could have subtly communicated something more than surface value – using specific sartorial choices such as colors representative of the bisexual pride flag or recurrent rainbow dresses; moreover featuring herself trapped inside glass closets or, quite simply, in regular closets.

The look and feel of what has been characterized as the ‘Lover Era’ emerged with the dominance of rainbows, butterflies, and pastel blue, purple and pink shades subtly reminiscent of the bisexual pride flag. One such noted example is Swift’s single “You Need to Calm Down” which features queer celebrities and includes the line “why are you mad when you could be GLAAD?”.

Despite Swift standing alongside the LGBTQ community as an active supporter, she made clear denials on speculations suggesting she was covertly gay when such rumors resurfaced on her re-release of album “1989.” Currently, Taylor Swift is in a widely recognized relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Through it all, ensuring ethical journalism remains critical in providing trusted news from a real news perspective not just for celebrity contexts but across all verticals. And given our shared Christian worldview that values respect for each individual’s personal life choices and orientations, there need to be guidelines that ensure some boundaries are never crossed while respectfully reporting about complex issues related to sexuality and identity.