Gaylor conspiracy theory

Gaylor, sometimes referred to as Gaylorism, is the conspiracy theory that claims the American musician Taylor Swift to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, sapphic, or otherwise queer. The small faction of her fans who subscribe to this belief are called Gaylors. In 2023, Rolling Stone reported that social media tracking firm Graphika estimated that Gaylors made up 9% of Swift's online fandom at that time.^[1] They assert that Swift has signaled queerness through her lyrics, music videos, films, and other works.^[2][3] Gaylor is also the name of the Gaylor community, a community of predominantly queer fans^[3] who engage in such interpretations and readings into Swift’s work.^[2][4][3][5]

Taylor Swift on the 1989 World Tour (2015); the Gaylor conspiracy theory purports that Swift is a closeted queer woman conformed to heteronormative expectations of the general public and media.

Gaylors perceive Swift as a closeted sapphic woman forced to conform to a heteronormative society. Some of the people who ascribe to this theory see queer references in her lyrics, and then do not think about her dating life. Some Gaylors feel she might have privately dated women in the past while being publicly engaged to a man now, in a perception that lends itself to bisexuality.^[6][7] Some Gaylors perceive her as a lesbian whose famous dating within heterosexual relationships were PR stunts,^[6][7] a continuation of the lavender marriage system of Old Hollywood.

The unproven theory surrounding Swift's queerness has existed for about as long as Swift has been in the public eye,^[7] including online forums in 2008,^[8] and had an active presence on Tumblr in the 2010s.^[5] The theory expanded after a rumored romantic relationship between Swift and the American actress Dianna Agron saw publication of the rumors in April 2013, and then gained considerable traction and tabloid coverage when some fans began shipping Swift with the American model Karlie Kloss in 2014. Neither of these individuals has confirmed nor denied these relationships.^[9] Both Kloss and Agron went on to marry men.

Critics, authors, and mainstream media have largely rejected Gaylor as a conspiracy theory resulting from some fans' parasocial interaction with her. A majority of Swifties do not subscribe to the Gaylor theory; Graphika estimated in 2023 that 28% of the fandom are anti-Gaylor, and 26% of them are neutral on the theory.^[1]

Opponents of Gaylorism see speculation of queerness as "invasive", and point to evidence in quotes by Swift, such as her 2019 statement to Vogue Magazine, "Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn't a straight white cisgender male. I didn't realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I'm not a part of",^[10] and her 2023 statement in the 1989 (Taylor's Version) album prologue that the tabloid media have sexualized her friendship with women in the same way they have reported her association with male friends. They also point to a January 2024 CNN article by Oliver Darcy that claims an unidentified "person" in "Swift's associates" described Gaylor theory as "invasive, untrue and inappropriate",^[11], in response to a New York Times editorial about the topic. Swift announced her engagement to the American football player Travis Kelce in 2025.

At this time, Swift has not given a clear-cut stance or label on her sexual orientation. She has publicly affirmed the right of people to come out in their own time.^[12]

Background

Taylor Swift is an American singer-songwriter, with a career of enduring success since 2006. Lyrically, a significant portion of her discography is about love and related topics. Her private life is highly publicized by the press, reporters, and media outlets, both printed and online, and her dating life a subject of constant tabloid scrutiny.^[13][14] According to the journalist Jody Rosen, the media enjoys guessing the celebrity inspiration behind Swift's songs.^[15] Some media outlets and journalists are also noted for their frequent reporting of Swift for clickbait and readership gains, capitalizing on consumer interest in "juicy" gossip about Swift's life.^[16][17]

Taylor Swift has warned fans about this intense speculation and its potential for inaccuracy, in her Reputation (album) prologue, saying^[18]:

When this album comes out, gossip blogs will scour the lyrics for the men they can attribute to each song, as if the inspiration for music is as simple and basic as a paternity test. There will be slideshows of photos backing up each incorrect theory, because it's 2017 and if you didn't see a picture of it, it couldn't have happened right? Let me say it again, louder for those in the back... We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them they have chosen to show us. There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation.

— Taylor Swift, reputation prologue

Rumors about Swift's sexuality and romantic inclinations have existed since the early days of her career.^[19] In heterosexual relationship pairings, she has been rumoured to have been romantically linked with famous acquaintances she has never officially dated, such as Cory Monteith, Adam Young, Chord Overstreet, Eddie Redmayne, Zac Efron, and Alexander Skarsgård.^[20][21][22] Swift has also been the subject of multiple conspiracy theories, with a falsified public image being the common theme.^{[23][24][25][26]}

Definition and scope

Gaylor is a closeting conspiracy theory about Swift.^[19] The term "Gaylor" is a portmanteau of "gay" and "Taylor".^[27] Fans or listeners of Swift who believe Gaylor are referred to as Gaylors. They have been described as sub-fandom^[28][29] and an online subculture of the Swifties.^[30] Gaylors believe Swift is sexually or romantically attracted to women, and therefore she either a closeted lesbian^[31] or sapphic.^[27] According to Gaylors, Swift's music and other works include coded signals about her queer sexuality. They consider her romantic relationships with men as lies fabricated to distract the public from her secretive relationships with women, specifically with the American model Karlie Kloss.^[31]

The LGBTQ publication Them stated that Gaylor comprises queer analyses of her lyricism and a queer understanding of her female relationships, especially those with Kloss and the American actress Dianna Agron.^[27] Gaylors engage in a close reading of Taylor Swift’s lyrics, including in ways that have been described as "too close reading".^[29][32] As per reporter Jon Niccum, Gaylors "embrace subversive readings of Swift's songs and seek to compile evidence she is secretly queer."^[6] Gaylors, who are mostly queer women,^[33] refer to non-Gaylor Swifties as "Hetlors"—who believe Swift's sexuality is not on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, and that Swift is heterosexual unless she announces otherwise.^[34]

Gaylors are mostly an online community. The subreddit titled "Gaylor Swift", where popular discussions supporting Gaylor have taken place, had more than 50,000 members as of 2025, before it went private.^[35] As of 2025, the subreddit describes its purpose as a "space for thoughtful discussion and examination of Taylor Swift, including queer readings, themes, and motifs in her work and public persona."^[27] Tiktok has become another online space where Gaylors share analysis of Swift’s lyrics.^[3][2] Gaylors have hosted also hosted in-person events and gatherings such as "Camp Gaylore" to discuss Swift and her discography in a queer lens.^[29]

Origins

Dianna Agron (left) and Karlie Kloss (right) are two celebrities that are often associated with Swift in Gaylor theories.

Beliefs associated with Gaylor originated on blogs in the early 2010s, around the time when some tabloids reported that Swift is romantically involved with Agron, who was known for her breakout role as Quinn Fabray in the comedy drama musical Glee (2009–2015).^[36][37] Some fans speculated about a relationship between the two after Swift named Agron in the liner notes of her album Red (2012). Fan theories arose about themes in Swift's music, social media posts, and a tattoo that Agron got removed that allegedly pointed to a romantic relationship.^[38]

There was also a rumor that Swift and Agron were involved in a love triangle with NFL player Tim Tebow, which Agron denied on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Tebow denied on Good Morning America.^[39] In an interview for Rolling Stone in 2023 Agron was asked how she felt about being the inspiration for one of Swift's songs and about the theory that she and Swift had dated.^[38][40] Agron has described the rumors "funny" and that many "wildly untrue" claims have been reported about her dating life.^[41][42]

Kloss befriended Swift in 2012 or 2013,^[43] and has been shipped with Swift since.^[44] Kloss had been dating the American businessman Joshua Kushner since 2012;^[45] they married in 2018 and have two children, and as of 2025, pregnant with a third.^[46][47] One of the first significant controversies in Gaylor theory occurred in December 2014, when pictures and video clicked by a fan at a The 1975 concert attended by Swift and Kloss were made public; the fan claimed that the picture and video showed Swift and Kloss kissing,^[48][49][50] an event that some referred to as Kissgate.^[51][52] Swift and her publicist both responded shutting down the rumor.^[53][54]

Some Gaylors believe Swift and Kloss had a glass closet relationship, knowing the media would straightwash them as they have done with celebrities like Kristen Stewart and Demi Lovato.^[55][56] In 2016, Swift moved to Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village, half a mile from Kloss's home, in which Kloss had her own room. ^{[57] [58]} which some Gaylors believe was indicative of a romantic relationship.^[55]

Developments and interpretation

Gaylors believed Swift swapped a lyric in her song "New Year's Day" from "I want your midnights" to "I want her midnights" during a performance at the Time 100 gala on April 23, 2019,^[59][60] which followed an uptick in rainbow imagery on her social media.^[59] During this time Swift was also teasing a big announcement for April 26, 2019, lesbian visibility day, and there was speculation she was planning to come out.^[52] The announcement ended up being the release of her single "Me!" off her Lover album.^[61]

Swift released the single "You Need to Calm Down", a song in support of the LGBTQ+ community on June 14, 2019, during Pride Month. In the lyric video for the song she spelled the word "glad" as "GLAAD", which resulted in surge of donations for the organization.^[62][63] The same night she appeared as a surprise guest at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Stonewall riots at the Stonewall Inn, where she performed "Shake It Off" with Jesse Tyler Ferguson of Modern Family.^[64] Swift released the music video for "You Need to Calm Down" on June 17, which shows her wearing what some identified as the bisexual pride colors in her hair.^[65] In the video she features almost 30 queer and trans celebrities, as well as several references to queer culture. The video ends with a link to a change.org petition in support of the Equality Act, which she also wrote an open letter to Senator Lamar Alexander in support of.^[63] While some believed Swift's increased support for the LGBTQ+ community was indicative of a queer identity^[66] or simply an example of allyship,^[67][68] others criticized her actions, particularly "You Need to Calm Down", as being performative activism or queerbaiting.^[69][70]

Swift, despite being one of the biggest musicians in history, closely follows her fans on social media, which has been dubbed "Taylurking", and she sometimes even interacts with them directly. She also sends her fans packages and donations, hand selects fans to do free meet and greets with at her shows, and after following and vetting individual fans for periods of months online, invites them to her home for gatherings and performances.^[71] Swift has said that she is "really in touch with [her] fans". This has been cited as one reason for the persistence of Gaylor.^[71][60]

A key component of Gaylor theory is the belief that Swift uses easter eggs as a form of queer coding, to communicate messages about her sexuality or secret relationships to her LGBTQ+ and ally fans without outing herself.^[51] Easter eggs have been integral part of Swift's career and her legacy.^[72][73][74] Swift has said she "trained" her fans to look for hidden meaning in everything she does. Her use of easter eggs extends far beyond her body of work.^{[75][76][77][78]} Gaylors have latched onto Swift's intentional use of easter eggs, as well as reputation for being in tune with her fanbase,^[60] as evidence that the queer subtext they see is being planted for them to find.^[51]

Swift began using easter eggs in the CD booklet for her debut album (2006). She stylized the lyrics in all lowercase and used uppercase for seemingly random letters to spell out secret messages to her fans, which is a form of easter egg she continued to use with some of her other albums. During her Reputation (2017) era, Swift drastically expanded and increased her use of easter eggs, starting with the lead single "Look What You Made Me Do" and its music video. This increase in easter eggs was born out of her desire to continue to communicate with her fans during a time when she was not giving interviews.^[78][76] Reputation was a pivotal moment in Swift's career^[79][80][81] and for the Swifties, who grew more tightly knit as a result of Swift's disappearance from the public eye. Reputation was also a significant moment for Gaylor, because with the increase in easter eggs there was an increase in things to be interpreted through a queer lens. Several ongoing themes in Swift's work that are often cited as Gaylor evidence arose during the Reputation rollout.^[51]

Some considered Swift's 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore as "queer albums".^[82] Folklore includes the song "Betty", a ballad where Taylor, as narrator, sings to a girl a named Betty^[37][83]. The song has been called "queer canon",^[84] a "queer love story",^[85] a "sapphic anthem",^[86] and a "sapphic teenage love story"^[87] by various reviewers.

After the song’s release, Taylor said she wrote "Betty" "from the perspective of a 17-year-old boy", a boy named James, as mentioned within the song lyrics, and added that she "named all the characters in this story after my friends’ kids."^[88] No gendered pronouns are applied to James in the song.^[83] The three characters mentioned in the song, Betty, James, and Inez, each share the same names as her friend Blake Lively’s three daughters, including a daughter named James.^[86][89] Furthermore, Taylor Swift herself was named after the musician James Taylor.^[85][89][90] Madeline Malone Kircher from Vulture noted "This would not be the first time she’s used a male pseudonym in her music."^[84] Swift debuted the song "Betty" with a performance at the September 16, 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards while playing a guitar with rainbow strings.^[86]

Swift offered "Seven" from the folklore album to the show Heartstopper to play in the season 2 final episode’s scene where two main lesbian characters, Darcy and Tara, tell each other they’re in love for the first time.^[91] When asked if the song cost the show a lot of money to license, the music supervisor for the show Matt Biffa said, “no, she just thought the scene was beautiful and we were then able to make it work.”^[91] "Seven" lyrically tells the story of two kids dealing with abuse, but the story is also said to be "laced with queer symbolism”, from an "obvious closet metaphor", "references to a secret love", and “wanting to escape with her friend."^[92][89][93] No gendered nouns exist, and the references to "braids" and "dolls" imply that the love promised to be passed down is likely being addressed to a girl.^[92][93]

On The Life of A Showgirl, "Actually Romantic" was called by critics "her gayest song yet,"^[94] "the gayest song of her career," and she "spins it into something sapphic."^[95] "Father Figure" was also noted as being a song interpolated from the melody of "Father Figure" by George Michael, a bisexual singer who began his career closeted,^[96] and had his larger worldwide public coming out in 1998.^[97] George Michael faced legal battles over control of his music against his label,^[98] similar to Swift’s work struggles to regain the masters of her art from her label.

Nuanced interpretations of songs such as "You Need to Calm Down" (2019), "The Very First Night" (2021),^[34] "Lavender Haze" (2022),^[99] and "Betty" (2020) are considered by Gaylors as proofs of their theory.^[82]

Responses

Criticism and rebuttal

It became clear to me that for me, there was no such thing as casual dating, or even having a male friend who you platonically hang out with. If I was seen with him, it was assumed I was sleeping with him, and so I swore off hanging out with guys. Dating, flirting, or anything that could be weaponized against me by a culture that claimed to believe in liberating women but consistently treated me with the harsh moral codes of the Victorian era. Being a consummate optimist, I assumed I could fix this if I simply changed my behavior. I swore off dating and decided to focus only on myself, my music, my growth, and my female friendships. If I only hung out with my female friends, people couldn't sensationalize or sexualize that, right? I would learn later on that people could and people would.

— Swift, in the prologue of 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023)^[100]

Swift has provided several statements that lead people to describe her as an ally: first, in June 2019, addressing criticisms of the "You Need To Calm Down" music video, she said "Guys. That is ABSOLUTELY false. To be an ally is to understand the difference between advocating and baiting. Anyone trying to twist this positivity into something it isn’t needs to calm down. It costs zero dollars to not step on our gowns.”^[101] Later, in the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album prologue, she wrote to her fans, "You, who saw the seeds of allyship and advocating for equality in 'Welcome to New York.'"^[101]

Swift, speaking to Abby Aguirre for Vogue in August 2019, said: "Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn't a straight white cisgender male, I didn't realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I'm not a part of."^[10]

This statement has been interpreted by many to indicate that Swift is not a part of the community.^[11] The Vogue interview author, Aguirre, opined “she has been sending pro-LGBTQ signals since at least 2011. Many have been subtle, but none insignificant— especially for a young country star coming out of Nashville." A lavender clothing character in 2011 "Mean" music video, lyrics to "Welcome to New York" in 2014, 2016 donations to the Stonewall National Monument, being a GLAAD Media Award presenter to Ruby Rose in 2016, nightly dedications to queer dancer Loie Fuller on the 2017 Reputation tour, and taking a political stance against Marsha Blackburn for gay couples in 2018 were listed by Aguirre as acts of Swift’s prior advocacy for the community, within the same article.^[10]

Many critics note Swift has never said anything definitive or concrete regarding her orientation.^[6][102] They write that there is nothing wrong with queer readings of Swift’s public discography, but that fan behavior can cross ethical boundaries when applied to her personal life.^[6][102]

Some journalists have gone further, criticizing Gaylorism as an invasive and baseless conspiracy theory, a consequence of some fans' parasocial interest in her.^{[103][104][105]}

In the album prologue to 1989 (Taylor's Version), Swift stated that her female friendships have been sexualized in tabloid media coverage in the same way her male acquaintances have been.^[106][107]

A January 2024 opinion article by writer Anna Marks, published in The New York Times, speculated that Swift is a closeted queer person based on Marks' perceptions of Swift's lyrics and aesthetics, drawing criticism from Swifties and other readers. Subsequently, CNN Business reported that Swift's personnel found the article "invasive, untrue and inappropriate".^[11][108] American country singer and queer activist Chely Wright commented that "seeing a public person's sexuality being discussed is upsetting."^[109] Chely Wright's wife, Lauren Blitzer reposted the article on Instagram and expressed support for it then deleted it. ^[110]

In August 2025, Swift announced engagement to the American football player Travis Kelce, who had proposed to her after dating her since 2023. Gaylors "mourned" the news and had a "melt down" according to reporters, and the Gaylor subreddit went private to avoid trolling from outsiders.^[35][111] Rolling Stone reported that, before going private, some subreddit members claimed Kelce is a beard and that Swift's engagement dress looks like a prison uniform, while others questioned if their beliefs were always false.^[112] Some members also claimed to have suffered severe mental distress over the news, including a panic attack.^[111] Some fans declared that the relationship is "staged for public consumption", while others acknowledged Swift as a bisexual woman.^[28] The LGBTQ magazine Out stated that Gaylors "will find any way to push their agenda" even after the engagement.^[111]

Scholarly assessment

Taylor has this image of being very heterosexual. Earlier in her career, she was criticized for singing and writing too much about her boyfriends and for being overly invested in patriarchal, heteronormative romance. For fans to find queer themes in her songs—or to think she is herself queer—is quite remarkable.

— Brian Donovan, professor of sociology at University of Kansas^[6]

Various authors and academics have described Gaylor as a conspiracy theory.^[113][19] American sociologist Brian Donovan of the University of Kansas has extensively studied fandoms, Swift, and the various subsets of Swifties. He published a paper dedicated to Gaylors in December 2024, affirming the queer interpretation of her music but disapproved of harmful parasocial interactions and queer reimagination of Swift's life.^[6] English columnist Sarah Ditum wrote in The Critic that, while a popular musician being closeted made sense in the 20th century—as was the case of the English singer-songwriter George Michael, it does not apply to the 21st-century as queerness is no longer a "career impediment" for pop artists. Ditum cited Chappell Roan, Reneé Rapp and Billie Eilish as examples of successful and openly queer, female pop stars.^[114] Gay Times author Zoya Raza Sheikh opined, "while there's nothing wrong with viewing Swift's work through a queer lens, there's an issue when these readings are mainstreamed—and therefore legitimized", and suggested that listeners looking for queer visibility should explore acts like Rapp or Omar Apollo instead of Swift.^[109]

Other critics have questioned this interpretation that there's any harm in legitimizing viewing art through a queer lens. The Xtra Magazine editorial by Frankie de la Cretaz opines: "When you say that queers are doing harm by reading queerness into someone's art, what you're actually saying is that being seen as gay is a negative thing. And the idea that gay people are delusional for reading (objectively) queer themes (like longing! And forbidden love! And friends-to-lovers tropes!) into someone's art is rooted in homophobic tropes from when homosexuality was considered a mental disorder. Perhaps celebrities like Swift or Styles or Kelsea Ballerini have not said explicitly that they are straight because they are not—or perhaps it's because people believing they might be gay isn't inherently bad."^[4] Continuing, de la Cretaz adds, "Whether or not you think someone like Taylor Swift or Harry Styles is queer themselves, getting mad at queer people for reading queerness into their work is homophobic, point blank, period. The idea that a celebrity—especially one as rich and powerful as Swift—will be "ruined" by gay rumours is homophobic. The most powerful woman in show business does not need you defending her from gay fans who feel seen by her work. She's doing just fine, singing about her "argumentative, antithetical dream girl" from within the glass closets she has been sprinkling throughout her work."^[4]

Pride Magazine's Rachel Kiley raises two points: "Regardless of where Swift falls on the sexuality spectrum, two things are true. First, the big uproar about Marks' op-ed ultimately just proves her point. The fact that so many people have repeatedly felt the need to "defend" Swift against "allegations" of possibly being queer highlights what we all know—that coming out as LGBTQ+ is still seen as a strike against someone, something that can cause damage to their career." "Secondly, it has repeatedly been people insisting that queer celebrities who have not explicitly come out of the closet publicly are straight, rather than those speculating they might be queer, that have forced them to come out. We've seen this with Kit Connor, Dove Cameron, and Rita Ora in the not-so-distant past, to name a few." This Pride Magazine article concludes by affirming fans, saying that the people interpreting art through a queer lens "simply reaffirm the idea that nobody has to come out with a big, explicit announcement the way straight people generally expect coming out to look like, and that both queer readings of art and queer-flagging have long been a part of queer culture."^[115]

Brandi Carlile, a lesbian singer, weighed in on Taylor Swift speculation saying "Do I have any thoughts or feelings about whether or not it's okay to speculate on a public figure's sexuality and interpret their art through a queer lens? Absolutely, I think it's fine. Yeah, I think it's fine. We should be able to talk about anyone's sexuality. In fact, we talk about straight people's sexuality constantly, everything – everyone they date, everyone they've had a crush on. It's not a taboo subject. To anticipate or pretend that it's a taboo subject to speculate around someone's sexuality stigmatizes it."^[116]

In "You Could Hear a Hair Pin Drop": Queer Utopianism and Informal Knowledge Production in the Gaylor Closeting Conspiracy Theory, Yvonne M Eadon writes: "Ultimately, the function of producing CCT [Closeted Conspiracy Theory] knowledge in the Gaylor community is propelled forward by imagining queer futures, reflecting on personal identity, building community, and pushing back against heterosexist consensus."^[19]

See also

• LGBTQ portal

• Avril Lavigne replacement conspiracy theory
• Larries, a sub-fandom with a similar belief