Taylor Swift has shared an open letter to Tennessee’s Republican Senator Lamar Alexander in support of the Equality Act. The bill—an expansion of the Civil Rights Act that makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against individuals because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity—was recently passed in the House. Now, it must be passed by the Senate before the President can sign it into law.

“I’ve decided to kick off Pride Month by writing a letter to one of my senators to explain how strongly I feel that the Equality Act should be passed,” Swift said in a statement, urging fans to do the same in the name of LGBTQ+ rights. “The fact that, legally, some people are completely at the mercy of the hatred and bigotry of others is disgusting and unacceptable.” The bill’s protections would extend to employment, housing, loan applications, education, public accommodations and other areas.

“I personally reject the President’s stance that his administration ‘supports equal treatment of all,’ but that the Equality Act, ‘in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental conscience rights,’” Swift said in the letter to her home state Senator. “That statement implies that there is something morally wrong with being anything other than heterosexual and cisgender, which is an incredibly harmful message to send to a nation full of healthy and loving families with same-sex, nonbinary or transgender parents, sons or daughters.” See the full statement and letter below.

Swift has also started a petition to support the Equality Act, which has amassed over 50,000 signatures so far.

Last year, Swift broke her long-held political silence to declare her support for the Democratic party ahead of midterm elections.

https://pitchfork.com/news/taylor-swift-pens-open-letter-to-senator-in-support-of-equality-act