It all started with a surprising theory. If this one is to be believed, Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss were once more than friends. Speculations that gave rise to the "Kaylor" phenomenon, a mixture of their two names. Since then, "Gaylor" has taken over from "Kaylor." Some fans of the singer are convinced that the "Shake it Off" singer is actually gay or bisexual, and would convey discreet messages about her sexual orientation through her songs. Theories so far, mainly expressed on social networks. But it was a New York Times editorial, written by journalist Anna Marks and published on Thursday, January 4, that sparked the fire.
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"What if Taylor Swift was gay?"
The article, titled "Look What We Made Taylor Swift Do" (in reference to her song "Look What You Made Me Do") asks, implicitly, a question: "What if Taylor Swift was gay?" According to Marks, "You don't have to be a genius or a radical person to perceive the homosexuality contained in Ms. Swift's work." "But figuring out how to talk about it before the star puts a label on her sexuality is another matter," she says. In her column, the reporter disseminates the clues taken up by the followers of "Gaylor", which according to them testify to the bisexuality or homosexuality of the artist. Among them, the aesthetic of the album Lover, released in August 2019, whose pastel shades of blue, purple and pink are reminiscent of the flag of bisexual pride. Or the lyrics of her song Betty, in which she evokes a lesbian romance.
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A disparaged article
The op-ed was not to the liking of Internet users. Under the X (ex-Twitter) post of the New York Times, many of them were indeed outraged by this article described as "intrusive". "This is disgusting," @mexicanswifty13 wrote. Delete that."
"But what did I just read there? outbid @missbnana. It's really disturbing that the New York Times is participating in this phobic attempt to "out" Taylor Swift. What a great way to treat an ally, Anna Marks." Courtney Reeves called the article "deranged."
@brigitteleann called the forum "sexist" and "extremely inappropriate." "This editorial is an incendiary attack – it's poorly written, horribly intrusive and reprehensible in a thousand and one ways," @cpsmithv said. It's both infuriating and bizarre that the NYT publishes a speculative article about someone's gender identity. This is below NYT Opinion's editorial standards. Do better than that."
"It's unprofessional, it's pathetic and malicious," another user tweeted. Some also demanded that the media outlet apologize to the artist. "The NYT has buried itself even more with Anna Marks' editorial on Taylor Swift (...), @PegisRetired wrote. Shame on the NYT for this attack on a lovely woman. Excuse me!"
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"It doesn't mean ruining your life"
The editorial that would have made the singer's team "furious", as revealed by an anonymous employee of the latter on CNN. "Because of its enormous success ... there seems to be no limit to what journalists write about Taylor, no matter how intrusive, false and inappropriate it is." The employee added that "this article could never have been written about Shawn Mendes or any male performer whose sexuality has been questioned by fans."
For their part, the followers of "Gaylor" continue to defend their theory. Reacting to a joke about homosexuality — an image of actors Andrew Scott and Pedro Pascal sitting side by side at the Golden Globes, embellished with the caption "Your uncle and his 'roommate'" — @fieldsdreamland responded, "Why people can make these kinds of jokes, but when there are COUNTLESS queer themes in Taylor Swift's songs and she was literally wearing a wig with the bi flag in a music video for a song about gay rights, 'we shouldn't speculate'??," she wrote on X.
An opinion shared by @therealrealTMZ. "In 2024, I brought up #Gaylor theory as part of my professional life," she explained while sharing one of her articles. This text, no matter what you think of Taylor Swift, is true: speculating that someone is queer doesn't mean 'ruining their life' – it's a homophobic idea." Questions on which the singer has expressed herself in the past. "(I thought) if I just hung out with my friends, people weren't going to sensationalize or sexualize the situation, right? said Taylor Swift in the prologue to her 1989 album. I'd find out later that they could."