Meet Todrick Hall, a Taylor Swift pal who preaches inclusion
NEW YORK (AP) — Todrick Hall has been preaching about inclusion, self-acceptance and gay pride for much of his career. So it made sense that he would preach about those messages as he accepted an MTV Video Music Award on behalf of Taylor Swift for her anti-hate anthem "You Need to Calm Down."
The clip, which he co-produced, stars himself and close friend Swift, and a host of other LGBTQ entertainers like Billy Porter, RuPaul and Jesse Tyler Ferguson in an a colorful, effervescent but forceful takedown of the haters of the world, including those who spread homophobia.
When the video made its debut, some questioned whether Swift was jumping on the gay-pride bandwagon, but Hall said the superstar is simply evolving, and using her voice.
"I've been friends with Taylor for the past four or five years and I have seen people drag her because they say that she's not opinionated enough, that she's not using her platform to speak out for women's rights, for the gay community, to tell people to vote a certain way — they don't feel like she's used her voice," he said in a recent interview.
"And then the second she does, people drag her because they feel it's opportunistic. And I'm just so glad that she right now is in a place where she knows that what she's doing is right."
It's also a place where Hall feels he's at these days. The entertainer — known for his stint on Broadway in "Kinky Boots" and his dazzling YouTube minimusicals that take inspiration from the likes of "The Wizard of Oz" and "Singin' in Rain" — released his "Haus Party, Pt. 1" album earlier this summer; "I Like Boys" is a coming-out dance anthem, while "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" shows him rocking stilettos with a form that would make Beyonce proud. Ciara is featured on the recently released remix.
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