Social:Gaylors

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Short description: Internet fandom
Swift performing with former backup singer and alleged former girlfriend, Liz Huett.[1]

Gaylors are a segment of Taylor Swift fans who believe Swift is part of LGBTQ community. This fandom is made of primarily sapphic people.[2]

Media reactions

In October 2022, Salon.com compared Gaylors to QAnon, stating both groups exhibit "pareidolia, the human ability to make patterns and meaning out of randomness."[3]

In September 2022, Rolling Stone wrote an article about the Gaylor phenomenon and its ability to keep reemerging in pop culture.[4]

In November 2022, The Daily Targum labeled conversations speculating about Swift's sexuality as "invasive" and stated these theories "negatively impact her relationships."[5]

In March 2023, Insider published a list of 41 Swift songs that could be interpreted from a queer perspective.[6]

In April 2023, Rolling Stone wrote an article about conflict between Gaylor and Anti-Gaylor Twitter accounts, stating Anti-Gaylor accounts represent 28 percent of Swift's fans' accounts, whereas Gaylor accounts represent 9 percent of the fandom. The article commented that this disparity often leads to the banning and harassment of Gaylor accounts from neutral-seeming fan spaces online.[7]

In June 2023, the Pittsburgh City Paper wrote, "Gaylors have identified queer themes as well as queer references in her work...they have traded ideas, decoded messages, and shared interpretations. In doing so, this group has...taught each other the history of queer coding and lesbian culture, and fostered a sense of queer, feminist pride."[2]

Significant events

Kissgate

In 2014, Swift and Karlie Kloss attended a The 1975 concert and blurry photos were taken of them embracing, which led to speculation that they were kissing.[3] Reporters initially asked Swift's team about the photos, but they deflected, pushing the media to stop pursuing the story.[8][9] The photos raised suspicions among some fans, who began to pursue clues about the nature of Swift's relationship with Kloss, which was dubbed "Kaylor" by shippers.[10][11]

Eye theory

In 2017, a Tumblr user thought that Swift's Reputation promotional photo looked strange and split the photo in half using editing. The user shared that they believed the left side of the photo was Kloss's face and the right side of the photo was Swift's face, edited together. This theory was named "eye theory". It resurfaces whenever Kloss or Swift post images where half their faces are covered.[12]

April 2019 announcement

On April 14, 2019, according to People, Swift "posted another pastel-hued photo: a closeup of her brightly manicured hands, decked out with numerous colorful rings, resting on her yellow double-breasted blazer. The image bears the caption, '4.26'", suggesting she'd announce something on April 26, 2019.[13] Many gaylors speculated that the announcement would be Swift coming out, since it would occur on Lesbian Visibility Day.[14] On April 26, 2019, Swift dropped a music video for her song, Me!. Some fans were disappointed by Swift's not coming out,[15] other fans speculated that the video was a coming out,[16] and some queer people accused Swift of being a straight woman guilty of queerbating.[17]

Bettygate

In 2020, when Swift released Folklore, with track, "Betty", many Gaylors deemed the song gay anthem, due to its subject being a girl. This led to anti-Gaylor Swifties, who were angered by the suggestion that Swift was gay, to dox Gaylor accounts and out people running them to their families.[8]

LGBT openers on The Eras Tour

In 2023, Swift hired several queer and sapphic acts to open for her Eras shows, including Phoebe Bridgers, Girl in Red, and MUNA.[18] The question, "Do you listen to Girl in Red?", has widely become known as a code to ask if someone is gay or attracted to women.[19][20]

References

  1. ↑ tayliz. "TayLiz". https://tayliz.tumblr.com/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Trachta, Ali. "For gaylors, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour hits different" (in en). https://www.pghcitypaper.com/arts-entertainment/for-gaylors-taylor-swifts-eras-tour-hits-different-23982914. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "How Gaylor Swift conspiracists think like QAnoners" (in en). 2022-10-31. https://www.salon.com/2022/10/31/taylor-gaylor-swift-qanon-conspiracy-esoteric-writing/. 
  4. ↑ Jones, C. T. (2022-09-03). "Some Taylor Swift Stans Hunt For Clues to Queerness in Promos for New Album 'Midnights'" (in en-US). Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/gaylor-taylor-swift-gay-rumor-midnights-1234585574/. Retrieved 2023-06-20. 
  5. ↑ Picker, Liora. "Taylor Swift 'Gaylor' theories might entice or entertain, but they also invade" (in en). https://dailytargum.com//article/2022/11/taylor-swift-gaylor-theories-might-entice-or-entertain-but-they-also-invade. 
  6. ↑ Ahlgrim, Callie. "41 Taylor Swift songs, interpreted from a queer perspective" (in en-US). https://www.insider.com/taylor-swift-gay-songs-queer-lyrics-2022-9. 
  7. ↑ Jones, C. T. (2023-04-12). "Why Some Taylor Swift Stans Are Ganging Up On 'Gaylors': Report" (in en-US). Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/taylor-swift-fandom-gaylor-report-exclusive-1234713432/. Retrieved 2023-06-20. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cruz, Caitlin (2022-03-25). "The Enduring Fervor of Gaylor Fan Theory" (in en). https://jezebel.com/taylor-swift-queer-gaylor-fan-theory-explained-1848698703. 
  9. ↑ Romanoff, Zan (2016-06-16). "The Bizarre Taylor Swift Conspiracy Theory That She Is Secretly Gay" (in en). https://www.vice.com/en/article/4xkje3/the-taylor-swift-conspiracy-ring-thats-convinced-shes-secretly-gay. 
  10. ↑ "The strongest proof and evidence that Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss dated" (in en-US). 2021-07-16. https://www.fluentlyforward.com/home4/the-strongest-proof-and-evidence-that-taylor-swift-and-karlie-kloss-dated. 
  11. ↑ Zoladz, Lindsay (2017-11-09). "How I Became a Taylor Swift–and–Karlie Kloss Shipper" (in en). https://www.theringer.com/music/2017/11/9/16625462/taylor-swift-karlie-kloss-kaylor-tumblr-shipping. 
  12. ↑ "Is Taylor Swift Gay?" (in en). 2022-09-28. https://www.gawker.com/celebrity/is-taylor-swift-gay-gaylor-tiktok. 
  13. ↑ "Let the Games Begin! Here's Every Instagram Countdown Hint Taylor Swift Has Dropped — So Far" (in en). https://people.com/music/taylor-swift-april-26-new-music-hints/. 
  14. ↑ Keating, Shannon (2019-04-26). "Why So Many Of Us Believed Taylor Swift Was Coming Out" (in en). https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/shannonkeating/taylor-swift-bisexual-coming-out-rumors-celesbian-gossip. 
  15. ↑ "Here's Why People Were Let Down When Taylor Swift Didn't Come Out" (in en). https://www.advocate.com/people/2019/4/26/heres-why-people-were-let-down-when-taylor-swift-didnt-come-out. 
  16. ↑ Hope, Zinetta (2023). "Taylor Swift Keeps Teasing the Lesbian Community (and We Hope She Never Stops)". https://afterellen.com/taylor-swift-and-the-lesbian-community/. 
  17. ↑ "Taylor Swift Tries to Cash in on LGBTQ+ Fan Base" (in en). https://www.popdust.com/taylor-swift-queerbaiting-2638866715.html. 
  18. ↑ "Taylor Swift's 'Gaylor' Fans Think She's About To Make A Big Announcement Post-Breakup & They've Been Stacking Evidence" (in en). 2023-04-12. https://www.yourtango.com/entertainment/is-taylor-swift-gay. 
  19. ↑ "What does 'Listen Girl in Red Mean'? Taylor Swift fans create Betty lyrics conspiracy!" (in en-GB). 2020-07-31. https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/07/31/what-does-listen-girl-in-red-mean-taylor-swift-fans-create-betty-lyrics-conspiracy/. 
  20. ↑ "Taylor Swift's 'Eras' Tour Is Packed With Queer Guest Artists" (in en-US). 2022-11-01. https://www.them.us/story/taylor-swift-eras-tour-announcement-phoebe-bridgers-muna-girl-in-red. 




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