we NEED to talk about the "invasive and UNTRUE" gaylor article

[@theswiftologist]

hey guys I want to point out that Chely Wright is ALIVE! it was my mistake to say that she actually went through with k wording herself, but the article really positioned her journey in this way. nevertheless, I could've looked that up. however, it was really immaterial to the rest of the critiques I delivered here, so in my opinion one mistake (that I am correcting here) does not invalidate an entire criticism....but you all know that. it's the conspiracy theorists who don't. anyway love you guys hope you enjoyed, back to non-insane content on sunday x

[@clubdownburton]

oh dear..

[@carly1628]

people make mistakes relax..@@vr4482"so much misinformation" is an overstatement.

[@23Alpinista]

Would you also care to address your video analysis of Seven, in which you claimed it was homosexual and that you were just connecting the dots?

[@lisaadams2118]

You are my bff that I’ve never met, and I appreciate your factual journalism!! ❤👏

[@theswiftologist]

Not to you. You need mental health care @@23Alpinista

[@majorisker]

The argument that having Taylor come out would solve homophobia is so insane and disconnected from reality its hard to even fathom how someone would believe that.

[@tiffylew]

It’s like when Barbie thought that Barbie solved feminism in the real world! 😂

[@Natg6]

At it's so offensive to Ms. Wright's memory to allude that if someone as big as Swift was out, maybe Ms. Wright wouldn't have unalived herself.

[@ashleypearce1221]

@@Natg6chely wright is very much alive 😂

[@happynealltdpolly]

yeah and all the kicked out lgbt kids will be housed again right after

[@liberty6462]

@@Natg6chely wright is alive and well with a wife and kids. this dude has no clue what he’s talking about

[@MelodieRoehrig]

It is so inappropriate for a large publication to be speculating on ANYONE’S sexuality. Truly gross and embarrassing they let this go out into the world… and not even well written ramblings. Thank you for calling this out! Fantastic as always.

[@aaliyahfoster2705]

This reminds me of that Billie Eilish red carpet interview a few weeks ago where a correspondent attempted to "out her" right then and there some time after Billie's Instagram post said she felt empowered and enamored by the beauty and vivaciousness of women. It's disgusting to slink and slimeball someone into revealing someone's personal orientation without their own agency or confirmation.

[@hurricanecatrina9548]

“You Need to Calm Down could ONLY have been written by a straight person” SOO REAL😭😭

[@piscesonpluto]

like I was thinking even if she did come out I’m personally revoking her card purely based on the lyric ‘shade never made anybody less gay’ - that was diabolical

[@AngryMara]

Thank God we have gay voices talking about this because I've been saying this about You Need to Calm Down

[@StrangerBillie]

Arguing that she should be placed under a conservativeship is so disgusting after what happened with Britney

[@clarem8784]

It makes you wonder if she reads... Anything?

[@TiffanyTeaLeaves]

It makes me think the author is a legit troll

[@andie7041]

When the fuck did gaylors ever advocate for taylor to be put in a conservatorship? where the hell is the evidence of that? Sounds like something the Twink in this video just made up and you’re believing it.

[@Donna754]

@@andie7041 And you sound like a defensive gaylor

[@aaliyahfoster2705]

I honestly avoid reading any articles that speak about Taylor or her life unless Taylor herself has been asked to be on it like the Person of the Year or Elle's 30 Things Before Turning 30 interview. I've learned several years ago that most of the things published about her are borderline invasive or completely lack humanity for her sake. Same thing happened to Shawn Mendes where people insisted his interactions were deemed too feminine to be straight.

[@maddiedoesntkno]

Dude, if the wlw community finds comfort or meaning in Tay’s music, cool. She’s repeatedly said that once she releases it, it becomes ours to do with and feel with and connect with as we will. They become our wedding songs and our ‘our song’s and songs that remind us of _that_ person. If a song speaks to you as a gay lady, it’s because she’s a talented writer who writes enormously relatable songs. If she _IS_ gay, what then? You’re trying to out her? If you _DO_ out her, what then? Do you date Taylor Swift? No. Knock it off.

[@ellehampton8804]

It was such an unnecessary, ridiculous, pointless, unsubstantiated article. If I had a NYT subscription, I’d cancel. I get a few free articles a month so I was able to read the article and I was so surprised that a major newspaper would print this. 🤮

[@lizisblonde]

Such a good point, I've never experienced the heartbreak that Taylor writes about but I can FEEL it because she's a GOOD WRITER. She doesn't have to live the same experiences as us for us to understand and feel her music.

[@christiand8243]

Who cares about Swifts orientation... Honestly people need to wake up and come back to reality.

[@maddiedoesntkno]

@@christiand8243 honestly, it’s her music that matters (unless you don’t like it, in which case, why give her any mind at all?)

[@belle90150]

apparently a lot of gaylors don’t think it’s outing because “she hasn’t explicitly stated her sexuality”

[@belle8592]

HAHAHA I WENT ON THE GAYLOR SUBREDDIT AND ONE OF THEM POSTED YOUR VIDEO AND ALL THE REPLIES ARE CALLING YOU A BULLY! good job doing what you do best, making delusional people mad, sad, and even more delusional!! love u zack

[@ATWTMVTVFTVSGAVRALPS]

Calling a gay person a "bully" for calling out their Gaylor conspiracy crap is insanely absurd.

[@corhydron111]

People need to admit to themselves that kiki'ing about celebrities is just a form of playing with dolls. You make up a scenario, project your imagination and assumptions onto it, cast your own villains etc. This can be harmless in moderation, but that's what it is and we need to be calling it that.

[@walkingtheline1729]

I mean I make up stories to entertain myself but I understand that it's made up and self serving.

[@KateCat420]

That's the key thing though - I really don't think Gaylors do know it's made up and unintentional. If you know then you aren't doing anything wrong, but Gaylors actually delude themselves into thinking they know Taylor and what she's thinking

[@MsSera21]

Yes! Art, celebrities, stories and music etc become a vehicle through which we explore our own stuff and throigh which we try out ideas and fantasies on for size - and that's fine, provided it stays in our own heads (or the group chat), we realise it's fantasy - and doesn't end up in the New York Times lol

[@Kpup]

As a librarian, I commend you for your work with increasing media literacy when it relates to pop culture content. This is an emerging issue librarians deal with for all demographics. A thorough breakdown of how to recognize conspiracy theories and non-fact based journalism is so needed on this platform.

[@theswiftologist]

thank you :)

[@nbenecki]

This article is like the “writer” took every theory on TikTok, put it in a blender, and this came out.

[@brimalaetoli4261]

That non-falsifiable logic of “I won’t believe they’re not until she says it in my desired perfect phrasing” but also if they ever do say it that way they’re probably lying or saying it against their will” is just exhausting and every high school kid trying to blend in until they’re ready on their own terms worst nightmare. We have seen this with every major teen focused celebrity in the last decade with disastrous results for the subject(s) every time. Analyze and interpret art through the lenses that resonate with you but good lord you can do that with both feet firmly rooted in reality, it doesn’t have to be like this.

[@theswiftologist]

Period

[@brimalaetoli4261]

✌🏻

[@joseph_mta5840]

Why can’t we just enjoy her music? Her deeply personal songwriting, her musical talent, her incredible contribution to music. No, we have to make everything about sexuality.

[@Lindy98]

That happens a lot. If a woman is attacked, it's usually sexual in nature.

[@conversations_with_kara]

imo if the 1989 tv foreword didn't shut down gaylor conspiracies, i'm afraid nothing will 🙃

[@PandoraStolen]

She could literally say the words "I love and support the LGBT community but I am not gay or lesbian or bisexual." And these people would still find a way to twist the words and do mental gymnastics to say that she is

[@AlexD-dh2vr]

@@PandoraStolenthey would call her homophobic for doing so, be mad at her for a couple months, and then pretend it never happened and go back to their delusion and nonsense behaviour. And if we want to look at a recent example, Shawn Mendes has publicly denied the gay rumors, and it only made it worse for him.

[@jigglypuffe13]

​@@PandoraStolenhe mentioned it in the video she has straight out said I am not a part of the community. So you're 100% right it's so sad😢

[@PandoraStolen]

@jigglypuffe13 I know she has said that and he mentioned it. That's not why I said what I said. I'm just saying she could say it in the most clear and concise language possible and it wouldn't matter to these people.

[@jigglypuffe13]

Very true💔

[@erinrhianne]

"Daylight could be about Taylor coming out as a furry" honestly there's about as much evidence for that as there is for Gaylor. CATS? Hellooo

[@lisaadams2118]

I’m pretty sure that was sarcasm.

[@erinrhianne]

@@lisaadams2118 whoooooosh! There goes the joke!

[@regulusarcturusblack13]

😂

[@Jellybeansatdusk]

Ran with the wolves? She met Joe at a furry convention confirmed

[@ATWTMVTVFTVSGAVRALPS]

"they are the hunters, we are the foxes" OMG CONFIRMED‼️‼️

[@jayamarnani135]

Me, who is GAY this is very wrong and very unfortunate that in 2024 people are putting people let alone speculating one's sexuality be it someone who is a common person or a celebrity it's wrong and very unfortunate and should be stopped this shit can affect someone's mental health. God WTF!

[@purplebutterfly314]

This is a new low for NYT. Good luck ever getting an interview from Taylor now after essentially calling her a liar and platforming conspiracies about her sexuality when she has very recently said that gaylors make her uncomfortable and put a strain on her female friendships.

[@maragarrido3307]

She did.

[@allymackenzie6726]

@@underthepink71989 TV notes

[@richmaxmchalliwchester1984]

@@underthepink7it´s literally in 1989 (Taylor´s Version) prologue!

[@purplebutterfly314]

@@underthepink7 Read the 1989 prologue. She explicitly says she stopped dating and focused on her female friendships because she was tired of the media sexualizing every interaction she had with a guy. She chose to be closer to her friends to stop people from assuming she was dating everyone she would exchange 2 words with. And what did the weirdo gaylors do? They started making up conspiracies about her secretly dating Karlie Kloss instead, once again feeding into the notion that Taylor is clingy and crazy and can't have a purely platonic relationship with someone.

[@philjan23]

*PRECISELY*

[@Random-vd8wu]

i wanna bring up the kit connor situation, which was truly heartbreaking to see. clearly he wasn’t ready at all to be outed and yet the “fans” would stop at nothing. they claimed he was queerbaiting for fucks sake. and it’s like… for what?? what makes anyone think that coming out before they’re ready solves anything?? hope he’s doing okay now, but that’s a more recent example of how incessant speculation on someone’s sexuality can do harm on that celebrity.

[@lizzydancess]

YES OMG i thought of this right away, like whats the point of outing someone it doesnt give you anything at all

[@shar3859]

it's pushing your own headcanons and expectations onto a real human being who actively did not consent for this. literal wish fulfillment. insane that it's so mainstream

[@SaturnsTooFarAway]

An entire Video of Zack debunking the Gaylor theory ????? Girl i am Seated!!!

[@Denise.Taylorx88]

I have been waiting for this… omg. 🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@lunal.775]

My 2 cents as a lesbian: 1- Taylor has REPEATEDLY called herself an ally. I will believe she is one, unless SHE ever says otherwise. 2. Even if you think Taylor (or anyone) seems like they are gay and aren't coming out for whatever reason, trying to force them out is disgusting. I've had people talk about my sexuality behind my back before I was open. It made me feel terrible. Gaylors need to realize you are causing people real pain and anxiety when you do this. 3. Artists have realized that the lgbt community is another fanbase they can tap into. I definitely think people like Taylor/Harry Styles/Olivia Rodrigo show their support for the community and people use this as an excuse to read into it and claim they're gay. But when you think about it, Britney Spears and Cher have also been seen as "gay icons" when neither are gay. Showing love for a community doesn't automatically mean you are in that community. Thank you for always calling this BS out, Zac!

[@cottage-core_]

+

[@Raelven]

Can you imagine a campaign calling Cher gay? She'd have the best comeback lol. "But mom, I AM a rich man." 🤣

[@lunal.775]

@@Raelven oh yea, she definitely would've had fun with it!

[@um7239]

I 100% agree as a unlabeled woman

[@22Nimily]

10000%

[@holly289]

gaylors and larries are the most annoying part of fandoms like imagine being a larrie and gaylor in 2023…

[@jigglypuffe13]

First time hearing the word larrie

[@jigglypuffe13]

I just looked it up apparently it's people who believe Louis and Harry from One Direction had a relationship

[@holly289]

@@jigglypuffe13yes they’re actually insane

[@angel_shelly]

@@jigglypuffe13 Lucky you haha as someone who was a huge 1D fan i truly cannot express to you how intense and pervasive this was. It truly was insane

[@hailsaep13]

@@angel_shelly It would've been less horrible if the annoying teens from back in the day haven't grown up into ADULTS in their like 20s to 30s and still believe it. Like sure maybe something could've happened, but they don't even talk anymore and it was frankly none of our business in the first place. I fully believe that part of it was the ideal of two fairly attractive people being in a couple, and seeing as most of the larries were girls, also a bit of fetishism.

[@AChick92]

Idk why people think that just because they can relate to lyrics/poetry in a different way means that the author of the art must be in the same space. Art is interesting and beautiful because people can have a different interpretation based on their experience or the time period we are reading it from and hindsight even if the author wasn’t creating from that same space. I can relate to “all too well” even though I’ve never dated with a significant age gap because of the overall theme/sentiment. Doesn’t mean I think TS didn’t actually date someone older than her.

[@mandmified17]

THANK YOU! Swifties generally can be too invested in connecting every single lyric with a specific moment from Taylor’s life. I think the whole gaylor thing stems from that culture/obsession somehow. There’s not a “right” answer! It’s art! A song’s meaning to ME does not have to be its meaning to anyone else, including Taylor.

[@MsSera21]

Yes! Is is a mark of good art (or even competent art) that it has the power to speak to us as individuals despite our differing experiences. You feel the emotions and tap into the themes generated by the art

[@BrookeDoesScience]

My perspective with Gaylor has always been, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s gay, but I take her word at face value” which, I might add, is how I view everyone’s sexual orientation. Mostly because I don’t assume if someone is gay, straight, bi, asexual, or whichever. I’m not surprised with anything people come out as because I’m not sitting here speculating … but I’ll take what you say at face value because you know yourself. If you’re closeted, I’ll take it as face value still because how rude to out people

[@Lindy98]

Besides, it's no one else's business.

[@BrookeDoesScience]

@@Lindy98 right?? Why would it even change anything if it was your business too. If you only like someone’s art because of their sexual orientation, perhaps you don’t actually like their art.

[@austin3082]

This is insanity, quoting Taylor saying she isn’t a part of the community only to follow up basically saying you don’t have to believe her words…

[@jillsarah7356]

“Anyone who claims to be able to speak on behalf of an entire group of people is arrogant and best and ignorant at worst.” THIS!!!!!!!

[@HaleyLaub]

As a bisexual woman who still struggles with her sexuality even after coming out at 18 and now 26, the Gaylor CT deeply disturbs me. This article is disgusting and kinda a hit piece tbh.

[@BreakerOfChains219]

As a lesbian, I agree. And lovely, live your truth. I wasted my whole life coming to terms with it. Now, I’m alone.

[@Sacto1654]

It reads like a more slick version of a _National Enquirer_ article. Just hep me. 😒😑🙄

[@lewispowell6015]

A huge round of applause for this. Brave, brash, bold and so brilliantly you. A video like this is what makes your channel, YOUR channel. Thank you for keeping me SANE!

[@theswiftologist]

[@FrancesBaconandEggs]

The fact that Taylor explicitly said that she didn’t like when she was speculated to be dating her female friends and yet this person STILL wrote an article about it is truly gross.

[@karacoconutag]

Few things are as demeaning and defeating as answering a question and being told "So we may never know" because you aren't believed unless you give the desired answer. This boils my blood, honestly.

[@angel_shelly]

THIS!!!

[@mk21718]

Are we now bullying people out of the closet? What kind of response from Taylor would satisfy these people? It would never end, even if she retracted what she has said all along and aligned herself with the theories.

[@nataliaflc]

She is going to be married, pregnant with her fourth child and they will still say it's because she can't come out or is with a beard. Nothing works.

[@stevenstewart782]

Taylor isn't their only victim. They've been doing this to Karli Kloss too.

[@ascendednightingale2456]

They want her to react so they can get a juicy story about her “over reaction”. It’s sickening.

[@darcey6392]

We're reaching the stage where I fear a journalist (tabloid) will ask her directly to take her off guard, put her on the spot and generate a major viral moment. It's like watching a car speeding down a highway, I know it's going to end up in a disaster. I hope it doesn't come to that but I fear it will

[@Felisquoreda]

Every time you call me crazy I get more crazy What about that?

[@maryaudrey7945]

Personally, I don’t even see why it matters. Why does everyone obsess over other people’s sexuality? If Taylor were in fact gay what would that change? I’d still love her, I’m sure every other swiftie will continue to listen to her. Like why are we speculating on something that’s not important? I’m not trying to say that like gay people don’t matter or anything, that’s not the intention. I just think there’s this weird obsession with gayness coming from those who aren’t gay.

[@Ty-mu7gl]

It's like you read my mind!

[@purplebutterfly314]

It's so funny to me how this nonsense of every celebrity being secretly gay (like Taylor, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, Camila Cabello and Lauren Jauregui, Shawn Mendes, etc) only started around 10 years ago and the only argument these unhinged conspiracy theorists make is that their labels force them to stay in the closet because coming out will destroy their careers. In fact, they have it completely the other way around: now more than ever celebs can come out and still be very successful! Look at Halsey, Sam Smith, Troye Sivan, Lil Nas X, they are all super successful and openly LGBT.

[@honestlyali27]

I just wanna say that there are many other reasons celebs would stay in the closet, and in some of those cases it's reasonable to consider their management would do that (like the one direction members, who's main market were young straight girls back in the early 2010s)

[@purplebutterfly314]

@@honestlyali27 Oh, I totally understand that and I'm sure there are still celebs in the closet because of pressures from management or not being ready to face the onslaught of abuse that comes with being LGBT openly. I just find it curious that these conspiracies are so widespread now, precisely at the time where being out of the closet is not as risky. I bet there weren't so many fanfics and posts and articles being written in the mainstream media in the 90s speculating about some random celebrity being gay as there are now. If anything, having so many people rooting for their fave celebs to be secretly LGBT just shows the big strides we've made in gay acceptance in the last 20 years, which contradicts their entire argument lmao.

[@silence3030]

yeah you're right dude homophobia in the industry doesn't exist anymore and it's super safe to come out. not like any of these out celebrities you mentioned suffered any major homophobic backlash. haha. hahahah. HAHAHAHAHAHAH

[@purplebutterfly314]

@@silence3030 Way to miss the point but ok.

[@beatrixlozach4840]

Lauren is bi, actually!

[@justwonder1404]

As someone who lives in Ukraine and felt my blood boil over NYT's coverage of the Russian invasion, at least they are consistent in their incompetence. The fact that they are considered a quality media makes me question, like, a lot of things. P.S. I didn't know they attacked Ronan's mother, good Lord. P.P.S. I love Me! but I also love how you never pass on an opportunity to shame that poor song😂

[@courtneycox6081]

“This is Taylor coming out as a FURRY!” …. I love his ability to be so seriously sarcastic like this, say an amazing thing and just keep right on rolling with his points. No pause. Love you

[@juliamrtn4837]

I think this goes way beyond Taylor. Yes it is so disrespectful to her but she will be fine. But what are the conclusions that people are drawing from this? That it is okay to speculate about other peoples sexual / gender identity? Or to forcefully "out" someone who is maybe not ready? Or just wants to keep some aspects of themselves private? This is insane to me.

[@purplebutterfly314]

Right? They twist themselves into a pretzel and grasp at every straw to argue why Taylor is secretly gay instead of just supporting actual gay artists instead.

[@clarem8784]

For months I've had this feeling of frustration and anger ... But a little bit of a feeling that at least we had a moral high ground that the right was attacking drag queens while they were unwilling to actually go after people and things that were actually dangerous. Seeing something like this coming out of a paper that tends to be quite liberal is really upsetting and disgusting. Like you say it's giving an okay to speculating about who and what other people are- Even when they say they aren't that. There's been this constant discourse on whether or not teenagers should be able to access health care if they believe they're trans. That's just more of people deciding who someone else thinks they are. (Personally I don't see why they get so upset about them taking blockers while I can. They want them not to be able to have a choice but I think that's pretty shitty...) I guess this is just a really long way to say. I totally agree with you.

[@nayslayer2563]

@@clarem8784 The argument against blockers for minors revolves around them not being able to provide informed consent to skip puberty. It's a huge medical decision with a lot of lifelong health repercussions, especially considering 95%+ of teenagers going on blockers continue on to receive cross-sex hormones. I'm not going to pretend that there aren't people who are in general against medical transition for everyone of any age, but most of the critics of this course of action for gender dysphoric minors have concerns rooted in medical ethics.

[@clarem8784]

@@nayslayer2563 I just think the decision should be made with actual medical expert support and long term mental health support.

[@olivia8465]

We need an unhinged, deux moi response style tweet from Tree IMMEDIATELY.

[@YellowGiraffeGal]

That would require the article to contain any facts for Tree to debunk lmao

[@mgabss]

I think that could do more harm than good, because a response directly from Tree addressing this topic would prove to the gaylors that she is actually being "kept in the closet" by her team

[@palomathereptilian]

We got a CNN article 👀 I'm almost sure Tree was involved in that article... And it was a great response to whatever the f it was that NYT article tbh

[@mistress_mercury]

The danger of doubling down on the closeted history theory is that even if Taylor was to make a post tomorrow denouncing all of this, the Gaylors will continue to insist it's her being closeted

[@haileyklein-t7h]

I highly doubt they would. The point is these rumors have been around since speak now era and she has never once come out and said her sexual preference is men or that she is straight. At this stage in her career, she is likely not going to. She has never denounced it. And you can’t say her being an ally denounces it because if all of the gaylors are as being as horrible as you claim she would address them directly, or Tree would, because they did it with DM. You cannot say the DM thing is only about the miscarriage either because Tree explicitly shuts down the wedding rhetoric as well. The day she denounces it and we see how gaylors behave is the only day you can say some shit like what you just said, but that day will probably never come. Taylor’s not gonna speak on her sexuality, that fact has stood the test of time. She will not reaffirm anyone who thinks she’s straight any more than she would anyone who thinks she’s gay.

[@mistress_mercury]

@@haileyklein-t7h I don't think she will ever address it either I'm just saying in a hypothetical scenario where she did, Gaylors won't accept her answer. They already ignore her previous relationships with men or what she said in the Lavender Haze reel. If you can't see how problematic that is I feel sorry for you

[@Bloooo95]

@@haileyklein-t7h”I realized I can advocate for a community I’m not a part of,” is clearly her saying she’s not LGBTQ. Please let that soak in.

[@ivyfuss3350]

@@haileyklein-t7h She has said it three times. First during the lover era "I never realized I could advocate for a community I'm not apart of", then in the 1989 prologue where she said that she hung out with her girlies so then the media wouldn't speculate on her relationships but then they still did... THEN most recently Tree addressing this article saying it was invasive and untrue. You need to get over your delusion.

[@haileyklein-t7h]

@@ivyfuss3350 none of those things confirm her sexual preferences. she was referring to the entire lgbt community more specifically anyone who wasn’t a “cis white man”. Stop forcing labels onto people, interpreting all of those statements as her saying she’s straight when she did not in fact ever say that once is delusion.

[@beva901]

Im genuinely bamboozled that any publication let alone NYT would read this article and think it was ok to post

[@Lindy98]

Didn't Zack say it was a letter to the editor?

[@beva901]

@@Lindy98 sorry I’m not sure I understand the question. Regardless of whether not not the article is framed as a letter to the editor they still posted it? It’s an op ed though. In any case, I’m not sure how it’s relevant but I may be misunderstanding your question.

[@Lindy98]

@@beva901 of course.

[@selkarmi]

This response to that article is chef’s kiss. Swiftologist seriously should be writing the op-eds. So decisive, educational, and seriously on point.

[@KatieRingley]

i can’t imagine how frustrating this is for Taylor. I know she has gossip around her all the time but this must madden her because she just wants to be an ally and if she doubles down too much, she looks homophobic but if she is just herself they call her closeted. It’s sooo annoying

[@karacoconutag]

This is such a good point 😔

[@awsome182]

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[@allymackenzie6726]

You can also find so many of them online saying that if she doesn’t want them to speculate, she should just say so. Yet you know she won’t due to the immense backlash she would get. I think the Entertainment Tonight article released yesterday talking about how well things are going between her and Travis by a source close to her (read: Tree) is as close as we’ll probably get to a comment on this deranged article.

[@leanashine]

I think she also knows that if she had a big reaction, they would just spin it to be confirmation of their beliefs

[@em-ily1227]

@@leanashinecompletely! It’s not the same thing but a friend of mine used to have a massive crush on me and turned EVERYTHING I said into “confirmation” that I was in love with him. Even when I told him, straight up, that I didn’t have feelings for him, he admitted to me later that he told himself I was protesting too much and therefore WAS in love with him. I suspect the diehard Gaylors would use the same logic if she ever said “I am straight, stop speculating.”

[@paularahn4117]

I’m not sure ANYONE could have said this better. Thank you for your brilliant rebuttal of an embarrassing low from the NYT.

[@MarioLanzas.]

I'm not even a swiftie but I love your passionate and critical discourse .It's so much needed. this is the right way to be a stan

[@pels8965]

omg, what I don't understand and never understand is how people DIRECTLY assume the 'meaning' of a rainbow. it is not always an LGBTQ+ representation, sometimes a rainbow is just a rainbow! Despite all the clever things you said, this one in particular I was stuck on; like 'she used a rainbow on her promotion of the album so she must be gay' like wtf? In where I like (Turkey) some radical conservative people tried to BAN the rainbow image on children's clothing, can you believe it? The world is just so stupid for smart people to stay sane....

[@Thankuswiftly]

New York Times is humiliating itself rn

[@nutellanebula]

I love how you said it can be arrogant speaking on behalf of a group of people as possibly arrogant. People of all kinds are individuals and if they want to speak their truth, they should feel safe to do so. We can't lump everyone of a sexually into a monolith and have the 'speaker/ ambassador' act as if everyone is programed the same.... we're all not. And overall, we need to respect Taylor and stand against this insane "The Earth is flat" theory about her. These crazy folks want her to be silently suffering, how sad. She's making the whole place shimmer and living her best pop queen life.

[@deltacat27]

Once upon a time, there was a part of me that wondered if the gaylor theories might hold some weight - mainly before we knew hits different was about Joe. After the breakup though, and when taylor obviously continued to only date men, and especially made her feelings very clear with the 1989 TV prologue, I don't know how this conspiracy is still around at all, much less platformed by the NEW YORK TIMES.

[@nika_vodvud]

How do know it’s about Joe? Oh my god 😄

[@deltacat27]

@@nika_vodvud pretty safe assumption considering the song was written as their relationship fell apart and there are lots of references to past songs about joe ("catastrophic blues," lots of parallels with cornelia street). before the breakup, it kinda seemed there might be a few too many coincidences for the song to be straight but it seems pretty clear now

[@nika_vodvud]

@@deltacat27 oh… so some assumptions about her lyrics and personal are are ok 😃

[@anushkakulkarni112]

@@nika_vodvud its called using your brain you should try it sometimes

[@deltacat27]

@nika_vodvud you must be new to this channel because that's what we so here on a regular basis. it's possible to just dissect and interpret the likely meanings behind music without being invasive you know

[@folklorelp]

i, a lesbian, got told i “hate lesbians” because i said it is insane to call taylor swift a lesbian. i truly struggle to understand how exactly it is homophobic to respect another’s privacy and what they have publicly said. if taylor was gay (she isn’t) she most definitely would have come out by now. she would not “pretend” to be an ally for 17 - nearly 18 - years. it’s fucking insane

[@LaurenKaminski]

Yes if someone is an ally & isn’t afraid to be an ally,to support those that are,then why would she be afraid to come out? Gaylors need to stop!

[@fairycinna]

thank you for speaking about this, I think it's awful that people are trying to force Taylor to come out when she's literally told us to stop accusing her of dating her friends. In my time on the internet, people have tried to do this to me as well. They insisted that I was a lesbian, and not bisexual (which is what I identify as), and that I must be faking my attraction to my boyfriend. I know firsthand that this speculation can be so anxiety inducing, and I can't imagine how sick it must make Taylor feel, on a much larger, and more serious scale. It means so much to me to hear someone call out these conspiracy theories for what they are, and I love your videos

[@TheFlygon13]

„This is Taylor Swift coming out as a furry“ I screamed

[@nataliaflc]

So embarassing for everyone involved.

[@recidivist26]

The gaylor subreddit is unhinged. I saw a *mod post* stating that anyone participating in the subreddit MUST believe that every single man she has dated is a beard or PR relationship including Joe, Matty, and Travis. I don’t know how they can possibly spin Matty as a PR relationship lol. And even if someone believes some songs are about women, this means anyone wanting to participate in the subreddit *has* to believe Taylor is lesbian and can’t even consider the possibility of someone being bi? Also, their current narrative is that with TTPD she’s retconning past songs to be about Matty (eg, The 1, Question) specifically so that it covers up the identities of the women they were “actually” about, and thus will allow her to ‘come out in the future without outing those women’……..

[@astaldaron9724]

To everyone saying the song seven proves she's gay since she wrote it and it gives gay vibes, I hope u also believe that she's an alcoholic (this is me trying), a 15 year old boy (Betty), and a soldier (epiphany). At least be consistent in your delusion

[@amarachiisaac9420]

Love this. But James is 17.

[@astaldaron9724]

@@amarachiisaac9420 true, in my head he's younger

[@urmom_69]

shes also a fox (i know places)

[@Shadowhigh124-js4fl]

She's also new York city (false god)

[@belle90150]

she probably is slightly an alcoholic though lol

[@Kitkat-ew8jx]

“where were you on january 6th?” i think you just predicted the future bc the way they were all ended today lfmao

[@daniamarin8198]

I completely understand why you havent publicly commented/made a video on gaylors but admittedly im very happy we finally have a long form video of you concisely and eloquently shaming gaylor rhetoric and showing how insane it all is 💀 we need well-spoken veteran swifties to explain why this nonsense is so harmful thank you zack!

[@causeimnachoprincess]

"lying is familiar to queers" is actually an awful thing to say

[@nayslayer2563]

When I went to journalism school I was taught not to speculate. This was a state university in Louisiana! Somehow the folks at NYT missed that memo. lol

[@philjan23]

Your school may have been smaller, but they are quality providers of education, we can see! 🥰💁🏻

[@Іапа]

SPECULATE. gay people should not have to come out!! dont assume people are straight by default

[@nayslayer2563]

@@Іапа Speculation on the part of individual humans has its own problems, but that's different than speculation in the pages of the New York Times. I actually try not to assume anything about anyone... I've learned in interactions with people IRL, just observing someone's social behavior isn't enough to surmise sexual orientation. I gotta see who they date! lol

[@ana_lynn_w2959]

@@Іапа agreed, but at the same time if somebody has publicly announced their sexual orientation, we should also believe it. I think those two things should go hand-in-hand.

[@paullopez2021]

more likely that they were forced by upper management to write this. Fox News is famously the same way. some news organizations care more about profit than facts - and it defeats the whole purpose of J-school.

[@mickeydix8062]

What baffles me so much about this is the fact that (as you said) most gay people do not want to open up about this until they are ready. No matter how many times I was pestered about my homosexuality, it not once made me feel better about myself. It made me feel like my sexuality was all people would ever consider when talking about me, especially since the people who asked clearly had no interest in my actual life.

[@mkg72892]

As someone that was coming to terms with her sexuality during the Speak Now era, I’ve always interpreted “Ours” as a wlw/first girl crush song. As a swiftie, there are many many songs from her that I interpret this way. This is MY interpretation coming solely from MY perspective as a bisexual woman. I have never concluded that Taylor must be secretly writing about a woman because I’m gay and so is she (she really isn’t she’s said plenty of times before). It astounds me that in 2024, we cannot value the basic, simple act of interpreting art for one self. Also media illiteracy is WILD & shame on NYT for showcasing conspiratorial, toxic nonsense.

[@goldrush1989]

I used to think gaylors were a joke But this is getting out of hands now

[@BreakerOfChains219]

I agree but did you see the horrific homophobia hate that came their way after the Times article? I was slamming Gaylors as conspiracy theorists and being like maga extremist until I say the hate they were getting. I told Gaylors this was going to happen but I never imagined I’d see so much hate coming from homophobic Swifties. And I mean , it was horrific. I stopped trashing Gaylors after that because of the homophobic hate. I totally disagree with Gaylors and I’m a lesbian who has a celebrity crush on TS… but I know TS is a straight woman. I do admit, I question her choices in men but hey, maybe she sees something I don’t. I always imagined her with an intellectual creative who would make music with her. That won’t be Travis Kelce.

[@NeidaTeresa]

This is so scary like I’m really glad you’re talking about this. I saw that article and immediately thought wow I cannot imagine if I was closeted and someone wrote something like this about me 😳 also meth math SENT ME

[@ajayyyswiftie13]

giving a platform to gaylors on a major publication is insane behaviour. anyway, thanks to our commander in chief for debunking the conspiracy theorists!!!

[@ellie4601]

they are all so delusional and selfishly want to create their own narrative, that taylor could literally tell everyone that she's straight and they would still say that she's being pressured into saying that. the fact this made it to the new york times has made me lose the infinitesimal amount of respect i had for them - it's just straight-up embarrassing and an insult to actual journalists.

[@brittanyquale1905]

This is an important conversation! Thank you, Zach, for being brave and putting your neck out on the chopping board. Group think, conspiracy theories, and media illiteracy are all real risks to our society.

[@technopat3]

when you open with "the failing new york times" like a god damn trump tweet you know you're about to hear some shit

[@nayslayer2563]

I don't know if this comment is sarcastic, but I love it regardless. lol

[@meghansullivan6812]

THATS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING LMAO it sounds like something trump would say 😭

[@gileadsfinest3729]

And of course, he is being dragged rn by the community he is criticizing because of literally everything he just explained. Pretty good analysis of the article, I also agree that on the off chance that by some random curveball, if she is gay, this type of pressure isn’t going to make her feel any better or want to say anything.great video again!

[@haileyklein-t7h]

he is being dragged because he is lying, most notably about the fact that Chely Wright didn’t kill herself, is a successful trailblazer in the industry, and collaborator of taylor.

[@unicornalq11]

@@haileyklein-t7hthe writer of this article uses wright’s suicide attempt to clickbait and for shock value. Be mad at Anna Marks for being a manipulative liar, not him.

[@poopoomcpoo9411]

@@haileyklein-t7h i don't really see how that one thing is really relevant to the overall point he's trying to make

[@Donna754]

@@haileyklein-t7h He didn't lie, he made one factual mistake in a 47 minute video. And the fact that that's the thing they use to drag him just shows everything else was justified and correct to call out.

[@belle90150]

@@haileyklein-t7h making a mistake ≠ purposely lying. + that mistake has NO relation to his through takedown of gaylorism

[@TiffanyTeaLeaves]

I am so proud of you for taking this head on! 💪🏼💪🏼 your journalist chops are chopping!

[@mollyturnbaugh]

Haven’t watched the video yet but at the end of the day my opinion is that even if there was any merit to the Gaylor’s theories, it’s disgustingly screwed up that “fans” would want to force her to come out. 😑

[@camillejeske]

gaylors are simply not taylor swift fans. only about halfway through this video but if there was so much evidence and her hinting at these things to us, her not telling us IF SHE WAS according to this article is implying that she is homophobic. you can either be openly gay, or a homophobe to these people and what does that say for you as fan if you believe so badly that she is homophobic? that youre not one, obviously. i feel this is poorly worded but I needed these thoughts to come out somehow.

[@ChristinaWarren]

Thank God you made this video. I’ve been half-considering using all of my Times contacts to get a rebuttal printed but frankly, I don’t have the time. But I co-sign this whole thing.

[@ellayaaa]

‘Scott broke into Taylor’s diary and called her a slur’ wHAT ?!? I had to pause the video for a couple mins to really let that sink in. Y’all gaylors are delulu af

[@belle90150]

yeah that was so wild!! gaylors take things veryyy literally

[@roxannemetivier]

Didn’t Taylor just write about this in the prologue of 1989 TV, in which she called out all the Gaylors? I’ll never understand why they keep up with their delusion.

[@Donna754]

She did. And from what I've seen some of them just ignore it's existence, some claims she's homophobic for writing it and some just claims it further proves she's deeply closeted. The gaylors have taken delusional to a new level.

[@roxannemetivier]

@@Donna754 Homophobic, for calling people out when they make assumptions about her sexual orientation? What a joke. I don't think there's anything that can be done for them, but we should definitely stop giving them a platform.

[@Donna754]

@@roxannemetivier 100% couldn’t agree more

[@megallina1]

Some say that she's talking about her friends she didn't date, and we shouldn't speculate about them...using their confirmation bias to believe that there are friends she did date.

[@maeve-sv6wd]

gaylorism and this particular article are top tier projection and it was infuriating to read it (as well as all the tweets hyping it up) I’m interested to see if there will be any answer from her team but I don’t think it’s likely

[@Denise.Taylorx88]

I don’t think it merits a response. They will just let the Swifties and other fan types duke it out with them [Gaylors]… I feel any official response can start a new tier of conspiracies or doubling down on something they have already pushed. It is so sad and exhausting.

[@raybrown3947]

the writer doesn't understand how songwriting works. As a songwriter myself I pull lyrics from various sources to complete a song. It's a mixture of real things in my life, or other people's stories, phrases I find in public that sound good, a dream, a TV show, etc, all mixed together to make the song. This lady is nuts! Also... "sewers of tumblr" is a great line

[@pegasus4538]

do you also pull from historical events detrimental to the lives of lgbt people? or sapphic phrases that have extremely important connotations in relation to the community?

[@raybrown3947]

I'm gay @@pegasus4538

[@raybrown3947]

I'm gay@@pegasus4538

[@raybrown3947]

I'm gay

[@pegasus4538]

@@raybrown3947 you aren’t sapphic and you’re also not appropriating gay culture for money so good for you ig

[@EEJCreates]

so I think Anna must have read the 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo over the holiday break and came up with this piece thinking she was a genius.

[@14NRossi]

It frustrates me that people use this book as “proof” that it’s based on Taylor Swift. It’s fiction. They are literally treating her like a fictional character.

[@EEJCreates]

@@14NRossi Wait! Is this a common Conspiracy Theory?? I just read it and it LITERALLY doesnt have a single thing to do with Tswift.

[@rebecamarfim6274]

I remember listening to a blind item podcast about taylor and the host and their guests where trying to justify discussing her sexuality by saying "well she encourages it" and continued to reference the secret messages she includes in the album lyrics omg I was enraged

[@lisandrafabri]

i just have to say this - the fact that you've been to the reputation secret sessions and are not a gaylor actually speaks volumes, because i've been lurking in their subreddits recently (i'm not a gaylor either, i'm just highly entertained by the unhinged bullshit they manage to come up with to prove their point) and it seems like rep's the one album they speculate the most about and cannot wrap their heads around it being about Joe. thank you for this video!

[@vivanesca]

missed you, Zack! thanks for talking about this, boots on the ground!

[@7_ty_]

I’m of the opinion that the NYT has been dipping in quality for a while now, and this piece just proves me right. Their track record of platforming conspiracy theories as well as out and proud bigots is not appreciated.

[@DIAbycmgm]

I'll admit, as a desperate and depressed lesbian, that I went down the Gaylor rabit hole for a couple of days. But honestly, even during that time, half of my brain couldn't accept it. Looking back, it was all yearning and projection and selfishness. Also I low-key realized I was gay during Midnight's release and was taking steps to accept myself while listening to that album - so that def had its effects. Also all the calling of Travis as a "stunt" or beard was too much. Can't we just leave her alone, thank her for giving us music, and wish her well? I'm embarrassed by yall Gaylor Stans. I'm glad I only dipped a toe in.

[@tennisfan1706]

I’m so excited for your Grammy videos this month! While I absolutely love your videos and commentary on Taylor, I think you do a fantastic job talking about other topics and artists as well! I loved your Britney Spears, Lorde, lana, etc videos.

[@sannn9]

Why aren't them spending their energy supporting Rebel Wilson that since coming out as a lesbian have been pretty much dropped by the media? Remember when there was a new article everyday about how much weight she lost? Not anymore! Go give her your time and leave Taylor alone!

[@chunli6197]

ppl saying taylor swift is gay is the same thing as gay guys saying shawn mendes is gay,wishful thinking and manifestation

[@natalibarbani9773]

I used to work as a designer for a brand that made backpacks for little girls, I think I made them all bisexuals because all backpacks had rainbows, pink a sky blue, glitter and "pussy cats "🤣 This piece is nonsense, as you said numerous times, the aesthetics of the Lover era is more a Claire's photoshoot than a secret message about her sexuality.

[@audreyparmenter2000]

And here I thought K-Pop dating rumors were bad. This is just as bad, if not worse.

[@LWYMMD]

THANK YOU for commenting on this article. I read it right before I fell asleep last night and went to bed SO annoyed at how ridiculous it was. The writer had their own agenda, and the article was totally inappropriate. If rumors about a marriage/“ceremony” infuriated Tay and Tree a few weeks ago enough to make a statement, I wonder if this will too. I wish she would put everyone in their place, esp that writer, and tell them to F off in a perfectly Tree way.

[@alexnicole6806]

The way I was ready to throw my fucking phone when I saw this article...gaylors are sick. Taylor called gasylors out in the 1989 intro and yet they're still fucking delusional. I am so mad and so happy that you covered this.

[@kianna270]

They are so DELUSIONAL!! I actually think most of them are actually haters and not actually fans. Sometimes they speak so grossly abt her. Like it’s actually disgusting to speculate her sex life and what she did after certain events or whatever 🤮

[@alexnicole6806]

Truly!!! It’s funny how they are the quickest to be the absolute worst to her, yet will attack anybody for saying, “hey don’t speculate on her sexuality” or really any opinion that doesn’t cater to their delusions?! Ugh, they are truly the fucking worst

[@alicebethell8069]

Happy to see a Chappell Roan mention! Would love to see a video on her new album if you ever felt up to it

[@theswiftologist]

omg yes eventually I will do a Chappell elegy

[@FmaForge]

The New York Times allowing a whole rambling diatribe speculating on a celebrity’s sexuality to be published on their website is absolutely vile. There seems to be some kind of open season when it comes to Taylor that allows anyone to publish anything they want about her because she’s such a massive figure in our current culture. I can’t imagine an article like this being published about anyone else

[@lindscap]

I’m usually more in the John Green school of thought that once a work is published, it belongs to the reader and anyone else’s interpretation is as good as his. But what that would be in this situation is “x lyric reminds me of a lesbian love.” Not using vague clues to determine the author MUST be gay.

[@e.B.FanFic]

The "PROUD" bracelet in bisexual colors had me reconsidering gaylorism for a moment, when it came out. But all things considered... I mean, SHE SAID she doesn't want people discussing her identity like that, and honestly, who would? That bracelet looked bi, and as a bi woman I can see my bi experience in some of her work, but that doesn't make her bi - let alone lesbian. It just makes her a good writer, who writes higly relatable lyrics. Like, in my private universe Dress is gay af, because it reminds me of my first girlfriend. But every time you relate to lyrics you make it your own, reading your own experience in it. That's how that works.

[@karimari79]

I imagine "Gaylors" with a cork board and red strings pinned at each lyric they believe is a dog whistle!

[@Raelven]

The New York Slimes. Also, the girl who writes songs about boys and love is probably into boys, and love.

[@clarem8784]

This is an excellent response. I can't believe that was published. I hope that this video gets some traction because there needs to be opposition to that article. I would even say that it would be worthwhile submitting an editorial to the paper if that's a possibility.

[@mahaliacrites6449]

Chely Wright is alive and she worked with Taylor in 2006, pretty sure she was a friend of the swifts for years. They have an unreleased song together called thinking bout you. Maybe fact check before posting …

[@candacetirado2514]

He doesn’t say she killed herself he said the suicide of a country shouldn’t be compared to Taylor swift. I can see how the phrase is confusing, it was just a sentence shortened for concisely addressing a point. He then speculates if Taylor knew her or not, he doesn’t declare, and it doesn’t particularly matter to the argument.

[@unicornalq11]

Anna Marks used Wright’s suicide attempt as clickbait and for shock value. Be mad at Marks for that.

[@nataliaflc]

Is this your whole take on the video? Serious levels of copium.

[@Donna754]

And that one factual mistake being the only thing you took away from a 47 minute video tells me you might be a gaylor feeling defensive.

[@olivialayne06]

I’m glad you mentioned Chappell Roan. Her, Troye Sivan, Renne Rapp, Kehlani, Omar Apollo etc. There are so many amazing LGBTQ+ artists they could be supporting yet they continue to obsess over making Taylor into their gay icon. It’s so odd

[@martaboldu]

You did an outstanding job. Shame on the New York Times.

[@PeaceIsWork]

In Miss Americana she says she likes rainbows, unicorns, cats… many heterosexual women do, not all of course. No category is monolith but what is great about TS is that she embraces being so stereotypically feminine and yet strong and believe in equality and has the right to be vulnerable as she likes.

[@stopanimalabuse2569]

I absolutely love listening to you speak. You are so well spoken and talented. Such a smart original swiftie!! Thank you!

[@abbiemendiola3400]

I feel the same way when I watch the videos aww 💕