Recently the Times published this… unique essay by editor Anna Marks, on Taylor Swift’s sexual tastes, real or imagined. The piece operates by conceding that Swift is known to have exclusively dated men and has never made a single statement suggesting that she’s anything other than heterosexual, then goes on to insist that she’s queer, whatever the fuck that term means in 2024. Marks does this in part by sketching some unconvincing readings of Swift’s lyrics and by laying out conspiracy theoris that remind me of QAnon. But more, Marks simply insists that LGTBQ people need this, that the palpable longing for Swift to be gay among some queer people (the “Gaylors”) can somehow will Swift’s homosexuality into being. It’s essentially a kind of prayer, predicated on the belief that if you want something badly enough, if you’re willing to let go of any concept of privacy or self-definition or human autonomy or basic respect entirely, then the divine might make your wish come true. It’s the Tinkerbell effect for people who desperately want Taylor Swift to be horny for other girls. This would be understandable if it was expressed in the journal of a 14-year-old. Putting it in the page of the biggest newspaper in the world is just…. Well, it’s one of those “the internet was a mistake” moments.
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