Chely Wright, who was brought up in Lede of a Jan. 4 op-ed published by New York Times who speculated about Taylor Swift's sexuality, shared her thoughts after being named in the piece.
“I was mentioned on the track so I'll weigh in,” country singer Wright wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday (Jan. 7). “I think it was awful to post @nytimes. To motivate me to read—not because the author mentioned that I almost ended my life—but to see a public figure's sexuality discussed is upsetting.”
The article is based on NYT Opinion editor Anna Marks theorizes that Swift could be a closeted queer woman who sends subjective messages about her sexuality in her work. It brings together the discussion of progress made around the rights of the LGBTQ community in the US since the beginning of Swift's career.
The piece is referenced in Wright's memoir Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer. Wright, who came out as gay in 2010, shared her personal challenges with going public with her personal life. Like her he wrote in an essay in 2011, “I didn't know how to be me in this life I had carved out — this gay, Christian, country-singing farm boy from Kansas. I just didn't know how to make these pieces.”
Signs' NYT The article begins with this sentence: “In 2006, the year Taylor Swift released her first single, a closeted country singer named Chely Wright, then 35, held a 9mm pistol in her mouth.”
Marks wrote: “Queer identity was still taboo enough in mainstream America that to talk about her love for another woman would mean the end of a career in country music. But by suppressing her identity, Ms. Wright had put her life at risk. The culture in which Ms. Wright took up that weapon — the same culture in which Ms. Swift first rose to stardom — was strikingly different from today's.“
Since it was published, the NYT A 5,000-word piece that continues to make sweeping assumptions about Swift's sexuality has drawn criticism on social media for its open speculation about Midnight singer's private life and identity.
Wright, who had a No. 1 hit Advertising signHot Country Songs chart with “Single White Female” in 1999, posted her comment in response to music writer Chris Willman, agreeing with his view that “this was the least defensible op-ed I can remember ever seeing the NYT run”.
See Wright's statement below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-sexuality-new-york-times-chely-wright-reaction-1235577227/