And, to be very clear: she’s not voting for Donald Trump.
Chappell Roan wants you to remember not to believe everything that you read. After receiving some backlash for a recent interview in which she said she doesn’t “feel pressured to endorse someone” in November’s presidential election after lamenting “problems on both sides,” Roan took to TikTok on Tuesday (Sept. 24) to issue a clarification.
“I have encouraged people to use critical thinking skills, learn about what they’re voting for, learn about who they’re voting for, and ask questions and it’s being completely taken out of context, per usual,” she said in the two-and-a-half minute clip that found the typically glammed-up singer addressing the camera in a sweatshirt and sans makeup.
“There is nuance to what I say in interviews and I think it’s important that people use critical thinking. I think it’s important for me to question authority and question world leaders and question myself, question my algorithm, question if some person that tweeted something about someone else is even true,” Roan, 26, continued.
“It’s important to question because that’s how I think we move forward. This is my third election in voting and the world is changing so rapidly and I want to be part of the generation that changes things for good because we need it. If you come to my shows, if you read my full interviews, if you literally know anything about me and for what I stand for, you know that this is not lip service, this is not virtue signaling, that my actions have always paved the way for my project and the people who really know me. Actions speak louder than words and actions speak louder than an endorsement,” she said, pausing to let that thought sink in.
She then provided what she said was the full context of what she said in a recent profile in The Guardian, in which she was also quoted telling fans, “I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote — vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city.” The original comments drew backslash from some on social media who had expected the longtime advocate for trans rights and the LGBTQ+ community to endorse Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris — a vocal LGBTQ+ rights advocate — over former President Donald Trump, who has made repeated false claims about gender-affirming surgery for teens and called for removing federal protections based on gender identity.
“‘I have so many issues with our government in every way,’” she said in the TikTok video, reading from her full Guardian quote. “‘There are so many things that I would want to change so feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides and I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote — vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city.’”
She continued reading from the article, “The change she wants to see in the US in this election year, she says instantly, is trans rights. They cannot have cis people making decisions for trans people, period.’”
“So, hear it from my mouth if you’re still wondering,” Roan concluded. “No, I’m not voting for Trump and yes, I will always question those in power and those making decisions over other people and I will stand up for what’s right and what I believe in and it’s always at the forefront of my project and I’m sorry that you fell for the clickbait.”
In a Rolling Stone interview in August, Roan encouraged her fans to make their voices heard. “Right now, 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 LGBTQ+ community,” she said. “My ethics and values will always align with that, and that hasn’t changed with a different nominee. I feel lucky to be alive during an incredibly historic time period when a woman of color is a presidential nominee.”
The clarification seemed to clear up any question of where Roan stands on the critical issues in the Nov. 5 contest between Harris and twice-impeached convicted felon Trump, though it did not include a specific endorsement of Harris, who has been using Roan’s song “Femininomenon” in her campaign.
Watch Roan’s full statement below.
@chappellroan♬ original sound – chappell roan
