Happy LGBTQ Pride Month!
Fresh off the release of her new single, “You Need to Calm Down,” Taylor Swift surprised an unsuspecting crowd at a Pride celebration event at NYC’s historic Stonewall Inn with a set. This month marks 50 years since the 1969 riots that launched the gay rights movement broke out at the bar.
“Thank you for having me Stonewall, and happy Pride!” Swift reportedly told the Friday night crowd. Modern Family‘s Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who hosted the event, introduced Swift and could be seen jamming out onstage with the songstress as she performed her song “Shake It Off.”
Afterwards, Ferguson tweeted, “I’m so happy I don’t have to keep this secret any longer. Look who came to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stonewall at the Stonewall Inn. @taylorswift13, you are a gem. Thank you for everything you do for the LGBTQ community. We heart you!”
It’s been a busy Pride Month for Swift. “You Need to Calm Down” — which features lyrics such as “Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD?” and “Control your urges to scream about all the people you hate / ‘Cause shade never made anybody less gay” — calls out haters and homophobes.
And to kick off the month, she penned an open letter to one of her senators, Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander, in support of the Equality Act and in rejection of President Donald Trump’s stance on the issue.
See snippets of the performance (and fans’ excited reactions) below.
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