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Volume 12, Issue 2-3
  • ISSN: 2046-6692
  • E-ISSN: 2046-6706

Abstract

Taylor Swift fans constitute one of the largest and most active pop music fan bases. ‘Gaylors’ are Swift fans who read her artistic and celebrity texts through a queer lens. As an extremely active community within the Swift fandom, gaylors produce subversive readings of Swift’s songs, and they seek to compile evidence that Swift herself is secretly queer. How did speculation about Taylor Swift’s sexuality become an organizing force for many in the Taylor Swift fandom? Using interviews with self-described gaylors ( = 19), this study explores how gaylors produce queer readings of her songs and celebrity persona and how those interpretations cultivate joy, shape personal identity and build community. An in-depth analysis of the gaylor phenomenon illuminates how fans construct diverse readings of pop culture texts, and it reveals the potential importance of fandom for historically marginalized communities.

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2024-12-20
2025-05-15
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/content/journals/10.1386/jfs_00095_1
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): fans; gaylor; gender; pop music; queer joy; sexuality; Taylor Swift

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