Taylor Swift Responds to Rumor She and Katy Perry Kiss in New Video

On Monday, June 17, Taylor Swift released the music video for “You Need to Calm Down,” the second song from her forthcoming album, Lover.

The song is Swift’s official declaration as an ally to the LGBTQ community and features a host of famous faces including Ellen DeGeneres, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the cast of Queer Eye, Laverne Cox, RuPaul, Ciara, Adam Rippon, Billy Porter, Hayley Kiyoko, Ryan Reynolds, Todrick Hall and more.

At the end of the clip, Swift’ former frenemy Katy Perry appears, with the two pop stars proving once again that they’ve put their differences behind them just days after sharing their chocolate-chip cookie peace offering with the world.

Before the video’s release, Swift responded to a Tumblr post the wondered whether Swift and Perry kissed in the video, with the user noting that such a moment would be problematic and could be considered queer-baiting.

Swift quickly hopped on Tumblr to respond to the post, writing, “GUYS. That is ABSOLUTELY false. To be an ally is to understand the difference between advocating and baiting. Anyone trying to twist this positivity into something it isn’t needs to calm down. It costs zero dollars to not step on our gowns.”

What actually happens in the clip is that Swift, dressed as a carton of french fries, slowly makes her way toward Perry, who is dressed as a hamburger, the costume choice likely a nod to Perry’s now-infamous Met Gala afterparty outfit. When the two women meet, they share an embrace, with Swift sweetly laying her head on Perry’s costume as a food fight rages around them.

Along with Swift and Perry’s reunion, the “YNTCD” video, set in a rainbow-hued trailer park, includes Swift lounging in a pool in a pink fur coat after her trailer burns down, a pop-star drag queen pageant judged by RuPaul, DeGeneres getting a tattoo, Ferguson marrying his husband as anti-gay marriage protesters look on and Swift enjoying tea with the cast of Queer Eye.

The video closes with a message that reads, “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally. Please sign my petition for Senate support for the Equality Act on change.org.”

Swift originally voiced her support for the Equality Act, which would grant individuals protection against discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, on social media earlier this month.

Photo Credit: YouTube / Taylor Swift