Taylor Swift has donated $113,000 to fight anti-LGBTIQ+ bills in Tennessee

"I’m going to do more to help."

Taylor Swift has put her money where her mouth is. Source: FilmMagic

On the subject of LGBTIQ+ rights, pop star Taylor Swift has put her money where her mouth is.

The singer, who has been a longtime advocate for the queer community, made a USD$113,000 donation (13 is Swift's lucky number) to the Tennessee Equality Project, a group in Nashville dedicated to fighting a fresh slate of anti-LGBTIQ+ bills, referred to as the “Slate of Hate”, which are currently moving through state legislature.

The group recently brought together 100 religious leaders to denounce the bills.

“I’m so inspired by the work you do, specifically in organising the recent petition of Tennessee faith leaders standing up against the ‘slate of hate’ in our state legislature,” Swift wrote in a letter to Chris Sanders, the group’s director.

“Please convey my heartfelt thanks to them and accept this donation to support the work you and these leaders are doing."

She added: "I’m so grateful that they’re giving all people a place to worship.”

In the past, Swift has faced criticism for remaining silent on political issues. However, in late 2018 she changed her tune - endorsing two Democratic candidates for Congress. It's a shift she reflected on in Elle magazine's 30 things I learned before I turned 30 feature interview, saying she had been "finding my voice in terms of politics".

“I realized that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric,” Swift wrote.

“I’m going to do more to help. We have a big race coming up next year.”