Taylor Swift donates £86,000 to LGBT+ group in Tennessee after politicians try to ban same-sex marriage
‘I’m so inspired by the work you do,’ the singer wrote in a handwritten letter
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Your support makes all the difference.Singer Taylor Swift has made a sizeable donation to an LGBT+ advocacy group in Tennessee.
Earlier this week, LGBT+ organisation Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) shared a handwritten letter written by the 29-year-old, in which she writes that she was “inspired” by the company’s efforts fighting for LGBT+ rights.
“I’m writing you to say that I’m so inspired by the work you do, specifically in organising the recent petition of Tennessee faith leaders standing up against the ‘Slate of Hate’ in our state legislature,” Swift wrote.
“Please convey my heartfelt thanks to them and accept this donation to support the work you and those leaders are doing.”
Executive director Chris Sanders, who shared the post on Monday, revealed the singer had made a $113,000 (£86,000) donation to TEP and expressed his appreciation for the star’s generous donation, describing her as a “long-time ally to the LGBTQ community”.
“She sees our struggle in Tennessee and continues to add her voice with so many good people, including religious leaders, who are speaking out for love in the face of fear,” he wrote on Facebook.
The donation was made in direct response to a series of bills submitted to the Tennessee General Assembly, recently dubbed the “Slate of Hate” due to their discrimination of the LBGT+ community.
One bill featured in the “Slate of Hate”, if passed, would protect private adoption agencies that turn down prospective parents on “religious or moral” grounds, LGBT+ organisation the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) states.
Another bill that’s been put forward proposes an introduction of the Tennessee “Natural Marriage Defense Act”, which would prohibit same-sex weddings in the southern state.
Several people have praised Swift for her public support of the LGBT+ community.
“As a gay Tennessean who loves Taylor Swift, one could say this news is... taylor-made for me,” tweeted Nick Morrow, press secretary for LGBT+ rights group Human Rights Campaign.
“This is... so unbelievably amazing. I cannot believe it,” another person wrote.
A petition launched by the TEP in opposition to the “Slate of Hate” bills can be signed on the organisation’s website.
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