Queer popstar Chappell Roan is facing criticism after comments from a recent interview about why she has not endorsed Kamala Harris have circulated online.
Roan’s extremely rapid rise to fame has been the subject of much discussion in recent months, with her unapologetic honesty and willingness to speak out on issues such as toxic fandom often drawing ire in the public eye.
Now, Roan has been receiving criticism after the account Pop Flop shared the following pull quote from an interview with The Guardian on Twitter/X:
Chappell Roan on why she hasn’t endorsed Kamala Harris:
“I have so many issues with our government in every way… There are so many things that I would want to change. So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides.” pic.twitter.com/JrVU3G4Iyr
— Pop Flop (@PopFlopHQ) September 21, 2024
A number of users came to conclusions about the quote and criticised Roan for trying to “both sides” the upcoming election between Harris and Donald Trump. “How are you queer, an ardent defender of the drag community and somehow a ‘both sides are bad’ person?” asked one user.
Another said: “Okay so she’s a Republican, got it.” Other comments included “I’m sorry but there’s no defending this,” and “One side wants to ban drag and it’s not Democrats. Hope this helps!”
Chappell Roan not endorsing Kamala is more complicated than it appears
However, despite the many comments criticising Chappell Roan for her comments, there’s an equal number of people defending her and pointing out her recent progressive activism.
It’s worth noting that the selection of the quote by Pop Flop is somewhat disingenuous; in the original Guardian article, the paragraph prior to the selected quote details the fact that Roan has been raising aid money for Palestine at her shows, and she said: “It’s just my duty to help send resources to a community that is being absolutely destroyed.”
Additionally, Roan said in a cover story for Rolling Stone in September that it’s “more important than ever to use your vote, and I will do whatever it takes to protect people’s civil rights, especially the LGBTQI+ community.” She also clarified that her decision to not perform at White House Pride in June for Biden’s administration is by no means an endorsement of Trump.
A number of responses to the Pop Flop tweet point this out, many giving her praise for her staunch support of Palestine and willingness to stick up for what she believes in.
“She’s incredibly brave to have a spine in a neolib dominated industry and she’s right,” said user @imnotjuIes. @dadbodyofchrist pointed out that calling her apolitical off the pull quote was extremely disingenuous, while @musicstruggles1 also said that Roan was right for speaking up:
she’s right. a lesser evil is still evil. there’s no lever to pull that will stop either of the USA’s two (right wing) parties from stopping the genocide of people in palestine or congo. there’s no incentive for the democrats to change or stop the genocides they are currently… https://t.co/drs452PocV
— music struggles & wins (@musicstruggles1) September 22, 2024
Who has endorsed Kamala Harris so far?
Though it doesn’t look like Chappell Roan will be endorsing Kamala Harris any time soon, plenty of other celebrities have begun to rally behind the Harris campaign ahead of the November election.
This past weekend, Paramore’s Hayley Williams called out Donald Trump and Project 2025 at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. A fierce advocate for queer rights, Williams said: “It is time for all Americans to band together and to finally beat the Trump agenda. And the only way to do that is by confronting him at the polls. Do you want to live in a dictatorship? Well, show up and vote!”
Other notable endorsements from queer celebrities in recent weeks includes Billie Eilish and Finneas, Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Nas X and Kesha, just to name a few. The endorsements come as Harris enjoys a gradually increasing approval rating in the US, with recent polls seeing the Vice President continuing to improve her lead over Trump.