Chappell Roan’s statements raise the question: Why do we need to know who celebrities voted for?

Chappell Roan She’s already made it pretty clear that she’d prefer the public stay away from her personal life, so why is there a growing demand for her and other celebrities to publicly state which presidential candidate they plan to vote for?

Throughout her meteoric rise to fame, there have been numerous online posts analyzing, dissecting and prosecuting the 26-year-old singer’s every interview, as well as public comments against Roan such as “Good Luck, Baby!” There were many complaints centered on the singer’s politics.

Roan – grew up in the Midwest and identified as a Lesbian — is a progressive vocal advocate for causes such as the pro-Palestinian movement and various LGBTQ+ causes. local drag queens and condemning the increasing number of transphobic laws against children and people across the United States. Even that rejected He will give a concert at the White House during Pride Month due to the Biden administration’s Gaza foreign policy.

Roan’s leftist political stance — shared by many generation Z – caused a stir online as critics watched it Disapproval of both major political parties We play “both sides” in presidential elections. This led to the incorrect assumption that Roan was a Republican despite his widely reported progressive stances, and the heat of the discourse caused him to leave the All Things Go Music Festival, where he was scheduled to perform over the weekend.

“I apologize to the people who were expecting to see me at All Things Go in New York and DC this weekend, but I cannot perform,” Roan wrote. instagram on Friday. “Things have been so difficult over the last few weeks and I’m really feeling it. I’m feeling the pressure to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health.”

But why did it have to come to this point?

As Roan establishes strict boundaries with the entertainment industry, his fans, and the internet, he faces a relentless stream of criticism aimed at silencing his sense of personality and progressive policies and values. Despite the white noise and growth parasocial The hatred inflicted on Roan is not an artist who can be silenced – in fact, it has only further entrenched his beliefs within the political system and increasingly unruly discourse.

Roan says there are “issues on both sides” and

Unfortunately for Roan, an interview Guard Where he stated that his troubles with the US government had been curtailed online and spurred a growing hate campaign against the singer. In the interview, he described his frustration with the American political system: “I have a lot of problems with our government in every way. There are so many things I want to change. So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone.”

Accusations of the singer’s views sparked online discourse during a particular portion of the interview in which she said: “There are issues on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, cast your vote; vote small, vote for what’s going on in your life.” city.”

“How are you gay, a fierce advocate for the drag community, and somehow an ‘both sides bad’ person?” A. to post Millions of views were generated following the controversy surrounding this.

Others likened the situation to anger around Taylor Swift‘s friendship with the potential Trumper, Brittany Mahomes.

“The same people who gave Chapell the benefit of the doubt and did not attack his character for his ‘neutral’ stance in this crucial US election are crucifying Taylor (Brittany Mahomes) for greeting him at an event and offering no confirmation of their chosen timeline. I get it,” one person wrote. send to x.

He was angry and frustrated as he tried to clarify his statement that he did not support Harris. Roan switched to TikTok reiterating his political stance in two videos, which further fueled the controversy.

He explained that “endorsing and voting are completely different” and said: “I don’t agree with a lot of what’s going on, like policies. Frankly, fuck the policies on the right, but also fuck some of the policies on the left. That’s why I can’t approve.”

“I’m not going to settle for the options in front of me, and you’re not going to make me feel bad about it,” Roan added. “So yeah, fuck Kamala, but I’m not settling for what’s offered because it’s questionable.”

The singer emphasized that there is room for nuance when discussing the problems of the two-party system, saying, “So yes, there are huge problems in both. You know what’s right and what’s wrong, and so do I. Fuck Trump, really, but people like you and me in the Democratic party.” Fuck some disappointing assholes — and fuck Palestine and all the marginalized communities around the world.”

Taking aim at his critics who claim he has played both sides, Roan said: “No, no, no, that’s not me playing both sides. This is me questioning both sides because that’s what’s in front of us.”

The singer took the brunt of America’s shocking political discourse. The situation has become so twisted that, with his track record evident, Roan is on the verge of explaining himself to people who want to misinterpret his words. Roan’s policy was far from neutral; in fact, it was the most consistent aspect of his platform.

iron country said She told Rolling Stone that she initially planned to accept the White House show but would refuse to perform and would protest by reciting “poetry from Palestinian women.”

“I’m not going to be Pride’s monkey,” he said. It is worth noting here that the current administration walked back A. expression A month after being asked to perform at the White House, she spoke out about gender confirmation surgery for transgender children.

“Thank God I didn’t go because they made a big statement about trans kids,” she said at the time.

Roan is not the only young progressive concerned about transgender rights, Palestinian liberation and rights, and U.S. involvement in the war in Gaza. Like Roan, Generation Z has similar views.

Pew Research Center stated A study showing that younger Americans under 30 are more likely to sympathize with the Palestinian situation. The survey also revealed that 36 percent of people think the Biden administration supports Israel over Palestine. This situation posed a threat to the Democrats capturing the presidency in the 2024 elections because young people a major key voting block Guaranteed Biden’s victory Donald Trump In 2020.

“There is no way I can stand behind some of the completely transphobic and completely genocidal views of the left,” Roan said in his statement. “We” but still encouraged people to vote because “that’s all we have in the system right now and so I encourage that once again.”

People in our political discourse will habitually complain about single-issue voters every election cycle, ignoring the importance of acknowledging the interconnectedness of these progressive struggles. Helped retain and validate single issue voters (conservative, liberal and independent) abortion laws throughout the midwest. These so-called single-issue voters are shaping election outcomes as there is a growing movement in the unaffiliated voting bloc. These voters are determined to speak out about the war in Gaza and the ongoing US involvement; Many people’s concerns will remain unchanged if Harris, seen by some as a loyalist, is in office. Supporter of Israel.

Harris’ policies should be criticized by someone like Roan, a visible figure of the zeitgeist. Moreover, Harris clearly repeated his support for fracking, stricter immigration policies and we are expanding our army. Still, Harris managed to have fun on television as a more prominent politician than Biden with her boisterous laugh: “write brat” memes and even using Roan’s “Femininomenon” in TikToks.

Why do people care about celebrity endorsements?

The surprising response to Roan’s progressive politics is part of this need. Celebrities who will perform left-leaning politics. Long before Swift was considered by many to be the ideal liberal celebrity, the singer was quiet about politics, leading to years of speculation that she was a singer. secret conservative. Swift surprised everyone I’m coming out as a Democrat During the 2018 midterms. But even Swift, who is perceived as a good liberal, is rightfully being distorted by her ties to Trump-supporting Mahomes.

While it makes sense that a superstar like Swift would be held to higher standards for her politics than someone like Roan, it’s become disheartening to see that the only way the Democratic Party can rally its voters is to appeal to the admiration of Americans. with celebrity. Democrats are also calling on Reggaeton artist Bad Bunny to support Harris to help her secure swing states like Pennsylvania. has the third largest population Puerto Ricans outside the territory.

Despite this pressure to engage in politics, artists like Roan have completely rejected fame and the additional responsibilities that come with the job. This makes his progressive stance on LGBTQ+ and Palestinian rights more personal and praiseworthy. As a Teen Vogue writer and editor Lex McMenamin “It must be a good thing that Roan doesn’t want to use his platform to sell any marginalized identity just to name a presidential candidate after himself,” he wrote.

Although people often lampoon progressives for refusing to support a candidate, his rejection and anger at our political and Hollywood systems show us that Roan is questioning what is normalized from a celebrity. That it doesn’t conform to expectations is a terrible insight into our sense of entitlement. As a marginalized person, Roan joins our political discourse as we all must, with critical thought, nuance, and lived experience.

“This isn’t normal. This is weird,” he said on TikTok last month, talking about fans violating his personal boundaries; Little did he know how bad the situation could get or how political it could get.