'Sorry, Taylor. Stick to music': Swift's political Instagram post angers many fans on Yahoo

Rarely one to reveal her political leanings, Taylor Swift changed her tune on social media this week and sparked mixed reactions with Yahoo readers.

Swift, who is notorious for remaining neutral on hot-button issues, broke her silence as chaos swirled after Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.

Taylor Swift at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Reuters)
Taylor Swift at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Reuters)

Her Instagram post, which garnered over 1.5M likes in under 24 hours, begins:

“In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, 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….”

View this post on Instagram

I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, 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. 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. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. 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. 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. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! 🗳😃🌈

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Oct 7, 2018 at 4:33pm PDT

Swift goes on to tell her more than 110 million followers that she supports Democrats Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives from her home state of Tennessee. On Yahoo, the endorsement has left some of her more conservative fans fuming.

There are over 10,000 comments — and counting — on the Yahoo Lifestyle story.

The large majority of commenters were put off by the pop star’s take on politics, with one asking, “Why do people care what a singer believes?” Another went as far as to say: “Thank you for saving me money Taylor. Now I won’t have to buy tickets for your overpriced concerts for my daughters anymore.”

But in the sea of angry Yahoo comments, there was still support to be found. “Taylor Swift has shown she has come of age. To show that you vote for what is right and not which party is what this country is all about,” raved one fan. Another applauded her post, saying: “Thank you Taylor for a well thought out analysis. You obviously have done your homework and are making an INFORMED decision. Facts matter.”

What do you think of Taylor’s post? And what do you think of celebrities who speak out about politics? Tell us in the comments below.

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