Taylor Swift Finally Gets Political

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, Taylor Swift was heavily criticized for not using her huge platform to endorse a candidate or speak about her political views in any meaningful way. The pop star finally broke her silence on politics this weekend in an Instagram post, urging her fans to register to vote in the face of the midterm elections.

"In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions," writes Swift, "but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent."

Seift continues: "I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values."

Swift then revealed that she will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives in the upcoming election, and urged her followers to do their research and make an informed decision. "Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway."

Swift ends her statement with a plea for her young fans to make use their newly-gained political power. "So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count."