Chappell Roan didn’t deserve the backlash
What could Chappell Roan have possibly done to make so many people mad at her? She’s been trending on X for days and the comments are… intense, to say the least. But in truth, as is the case with many social media celebrity cancellations, she hasn’t actually done anything objectionable at all.
The storm started on September 20. Roan did an interview with The Guardian, and they brought up politics (something she’s never been shy about) and her lack of endorsement for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. She said:
“I have so many issues with our government in every way. There are so many things that I would want to change. So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote — vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city.”
Even though Roan followed this up by making a pro-trans statement — “They cannot have cis people making decisions for trans people, period” — people on the left interpreted her comments as centrism, or worse, support for Donald Trump. “How dare she say both sides are the same!” was the driving force of the outrage.
Roan maybe hadn’t expressed herself in the best way and that’s fine. She’s not a political figure and she’s very new to the world of mega-fame. So she clarified her comments with a TikTok video on September 25. She had been taken out of context, she said, and she was not voting for Donald Trump. “I will stand up for what’s right and what I believe in… and I’m sorry that you fell for the clickbait,” she told viewers.
However, the backlash continued, because it always does on the Internet, so Roan made a second video. This time she got to the meat of the matter. She was not endorsing Kamala Harris because of two key things: her party’s lack of support for trans people, and her policies regarding the Israel-Palestine war. Though Harris has called for a ceasefire, she has also insisted that “Israel has the right to defend itself.”
Roan is one of the many, many people appalled by the genocide in Gaza, and she’s refreshingly unafraid of saying so. “Obviously, f**k the policies of the right,” she said, “but also f**k some of the politics on the left.” She explained that “there is no way I can stand behind some of the left’s completely transphobic and completely genocidal views.”
And this view should frankly be celebrated, not slammed. Roan is doing everything right — she is voting for the candidate she believes in, but also holding that candidate accountable. Politics is not a football game where you want your side to win at all costs; real lives are at stake. And tellingly, Roan has also put her money where her mouth is by raising money for Palestine at her concerts.
Many people have stated support for Roan on X since she posted her TikTok videos.
It’s also worth pointing out that Roan isn’t the only high-profile left-wing person who’s criticized Kamala Harris. Macklemore recently dropped the song Hind’s Hall II (named after a murdered Palestinian girl) where he called out Harris for continuing to supply Israel with weapons. However, he was met with lots of support from the left, while Roan has gotten the opposite. They have equal political stances, and yet the young queer woman was the one who got very nearly “canceled.” It’s a huge double standard.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
