Taylor Swift just won her second award at tonight's Video Music Awards, taking home the Moon Man for "You Need to Calm Down" in the Video of the Year category. In her acceptance speech, she thanked her collaborators, many of whom shared the stage with her, as well as the fans who voted for her. The fact that this was a fan-voted award was especially meaningful, Swift explained, because it meant they liked the video, which contained several important points, all of which underlined the message of equality.
"At the end of the 'You Need to Calm Down' music video, there is a petition for the Equality Act which basically says we all deserve equal rights," Swift told the cheering crowd. "It now has half a million signatures which is five times the amount needed to get the White House to respond!" She then pretended to check her invisible watch, tapping it for effect, which caused the crowd to erupt in cheers and laughter. Twitter also exploded after she dropped the line, with fans absolutely shocked and excited that the singer called out President Trump in her speech.
Taylor Swift: We received half a million signatures. That’s 5x the amount of signatures required for a response from the White House.Taylor Swift: #VMAs @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/vHMLYyLNotAugust 27, 2019
@taylorswift13 mentioned the white house THE ORANGE IN THE WHITE IS GONNA FLIP!#VMAs pic.twitter.com/heJZJC2uAkAugust 27, 2019
I’m glad to live in a world where @taylorswift13 send a DM to the @WhiteHouse live on tv #vmas pic.twitter.com/YPpxYpxt6IAugust 27, 2019
Taylor Swift waiting for a response from the White House like.... #vmas #videomusicawards @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/Zr3DEMtICTAugust 27, 2019
"While we have so much to celebrate, we also have a great distance to go before everyone in this country is truly treated equally," Swift wrote in the change.org petition. "In excellent recent news, the House has passed the Equality Act, which would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in their places of work, homes, schools, and other public accommodations. The next step is that the bill will go before the Senate." Here's hoping this VMAs moment helps further the cause.
Watch Taylor's full "You Need to Calm Down" video here:
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