It was a musical melting pot at Wango Tango in Carson, Calif., over the weekend, bringing together Taylor Swift…and Marilyn Manson? Yes, it’s the unlikely pairing that the internet never knew it needed.
The pop star was decked out in full rainbow regalia when she stopped to pose with the 50-year-old industrial metal god on Saturday — donning his trademark makeup and clad head-to-toe in gothic black. Manson gave his signature glower (he has appearances to maintain, after all) but Swift, 29, looked unabashedly thrilled to be in his presence.
“This might be the craziest photo I’ve ever captured,” photographer Ryan Lamont captured his prized image.
Fans were quick to comment on the unlikely duo, with many sharing memes, jokes, and general “WTF” responses on Twitter.
It’s unclear what exactly Manson was doing at the pop music festival — maybe he just wanted to rock out to Swift’s new single, “Me!” — but the infamous “Antichrist Superstar” also had a photo op with event host Ryan Seacrest and performer Joe Jonas.
When she wasn’t rubbing shoulders with Manson, Swift was espousing tolerance and respect from the stage.
“It’s wonderful to be spending this particular evening with you because today is the first day of Pride Month,” she told the audience, according to Billboard. “You know, a lot of my songs are about love and I just feel like who you love, how you identify — you should be able to live your life the way you want to live your life. You should have the same exact rights as everybody else.”
Earlier in the day, Swift shared a copy of a letter she had written to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican, urging him to support the Equality Act, which would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Although the legislation was passed by the House last month, many Republicans have spoken out against it.
“While we have so much to celebrate, we also have a great distance to go before everyone in this country is truly treated equally,” Swift told fans, urging them to join her in writing to their own state senators.
“Our country’s lack of protection for its own citizens ensures that LGBTQ people must live in fear that their lives could be turned upside down by an employer or landlord who is homophobic or transphobic. The fact that, legally, some people are completely at the mercy of the hatred and bigotry of others is disgusting and unacceptable,” she added. “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally.”
In her letter, Swift began by commending Alexander on co-sponsoring a resolution honoring the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to note, before urging the politician to continue his support “of basic human rights” with the Equality Act.
“I know there are those who say this disrupts their religious freedom, but there are hundreds of Tennessee faith leaders who have recently (and very vocally) disagreed and spoken out to defend the LGBTQ community,” she wrote.
Swift went on to point out that should Tennessee not support the Equality Act, there could be a devastating financial impact on the state.
“I’m sure you saw where Amazon, and almost a dozen other major companies, said they feel the proposed anti-LGBTQ ‘slate of Hate’ in Tennessee would negatively affect their ability to do business in Tennessee. Amazon alone is 5,000 potential Tennessee jobs put at risk,” she wrote, noting that dozens of major corporations had signed an open letter opposing anti-LGBTQ legislation.
“I personally reject the President’s stance that his administration, ‘Supports equal treatment of all,’ but that the Equality Act, ‘in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights,’ ” Swift added. “That statement implies that there is something morally wrong with being anything other than heterosexual and cisgender, which is an incredibly harmful message to send to a nation full of healthy and loving families with same-sex, nonbinary or transgender parents, sons or daughters.”
In conclusion, the singer urged the lawmaker to “please, please think about the lives you could change for the better if you were to vote to support the Equality Act in the Senate and prohibit this harsh and unfair discrimination. I, for one, would be immensely grateful.”
Alongside her powerful note, Swift also shared a link to a petition urging Senators across the country to support the legislation
Swift’s actions quickly won the pop star the support of GLAAD, who also shared that she had made a “generous donation to support our work and accelerate acceptance for LGBTQ people.”
“Taylor Swift continues to use her platform to speak out against discrimination and create a world where everyone can live the life they love,” GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “In today’s divisive political and cultural climate, we need more allies like Taylor, who send positive and uplifting messages to LGBTQ people everywhere.”
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