Country Singer Chely Wright Calls New York Times Op-Ed Speculating About Taylor Swift’s Sexuality “Upsetting”

Abbey White
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Country singer Chely Wright, who came out in 2010 as gay, has called a New York Times opinion piece that’s being criticized for speculating about Taylor Swift’s sexuality “triggering” and “awful.”

Wright, who first publicly discussed being gay in 2010 and shared her personal challenges around coming out as a Christian from rural Kansas in a Huffington Post blog, was mentioned in an op-ed the Times published Thursday titled, “Look What We Made Taylor Swift Do.”

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The 5,000-word guest essay suggests that Swift is a closeted queer woman who has been sending subtextual signals about her sexuality. Beyond Swift, the piece discusses major moments in pop culture and the political progress that has been made around the LGBTQ community’s rights in the U.S. since Swift’s career began. That includes Wright coming out.

“I was mentioned in the piece, so I’ll weigh in. I think it was awful of @nytimes to publish,” Wright said in an X (formerly known as Twitter) post about the piece Sunday. “Triggering for me to read— not because the writer mentioned my nearly ending my life — but seeing a public person’s sexuality being discussed is upsetting.”

The piece, which comes from the same writer who in 2022 published a piece in the Times examining the queerbaiting accusations around Harry Styles, directly references an attempt Wright made on her life at 35, as well as her memoir Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer. In it, the musician discusses the challenges LGBTQ country singers face in terms of receiving equal investment and support from the industry while also being open about their sexuality.

“Queer identity was still taboo enough in mainstream America that speaking about her love for another woman would have spelled the end of a country music career. But in suppressing her identity, Ms. Wright had risked her life,” the op-ed states. “The culture in which Ms. Wright picked up that gun — the same culture in which Ms. Swift first became a star — was stunningly different from today’s.”

In the days since its publication, the piece has faced increasing scrutiny, with some on social media calling for its retraction in light of its open speculation about a public figure’s private life and identity. On Saturday, CNN reported that “associates” of Swift were angry about the piece.

“Because of her massive success, in this moment there is a Taylor-shaped hole in people’s ethics,” an individual who requested anonymity, told the outlet. “This article wouldn’t have been allowed to be written about Shawn Mendes or any male artist whose sexuality has been questioned by fans.”

This person added: “There seems to be no boundary some journalists won’t cross when writing about Taylor, regardless of how invasive untrue, and inappropriate it is — all under the protective veil of an ‘opinion piece.'”

Reps for Swift and the Times have not yet replied to The Hollywood Reporter‘s requests for comment on the Times piece.

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