Luís Millan, staff writer

Lesbian singer, drag queen and queer icon Chappell Roan has publicly announced that she is not endorsing either candidate in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Roan received waves of uncritical backlash from her fans, even though she made a follow up statement saying that she would be voting for Kamala Harris. 

Roan, along with many others, has faced so much uncritical backlash for refusing to support either major political party in this upcoming election. Many people of marginalized communities have been betrayed by both the Democratic and Republican parties every presidential election; the lesser evil, regardless of who it is, is still evil and will commit acts of evil.

Chappell Roan has been a fierce defender of trans rights, open about her support for Palestine even when she feared people would harm those close to her, has donated her money to charities and much more. She is not your neoliberal princess, she stands on business and will not compromise her morals. That’s more than Taylor Swift can say with her private jet and ivory tower. People were quick to say that refusing to endorse the Democrats is a vote for Trump (despite saying she’s voting for Harris) instead of analyzing why she would not want to support the Democratic party. Where is the question of either party betraying the people over and over? Democrats willingly not listening to citizens?

Chappell Roan not standing up for conformity and being outwardly against the “…[messed] up policies on the left…” is one of the most outspoken and progressive statements made by a pop star of her standing. Many others before her are not willing to stand idly by and blindly support the donkeys, because they will still rear their legs to kick us when we get vocal.

Harris has called for a ceasefire then doubled down by saying that she “will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.” It’s not an actual statement on a ceasefire and her policies do not care about limiting the arms sales to Israel to continue terrorizing innocent people in Gaza, now moved to murdering innocent people in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Why should Chappell Roan accept this cognitive dissonance and stand by her side? Why should anyone be criticized for not supporting the brutal wanton murder of innocent people? Harris is continuing the border wall. May I remind you that both former President Trump AND President Biden started and continued construction of the wall during their presidencies respectively. The cognitive dissonance even in the lesser evil is so insane, why should she or anyone be forced to choose a side when both parties have shown little regard for us?

So yes, Chappell Roan is allowed to not endorse a candidate. She is not inadvertently siding with the Republicans or doing nothing, she is using her platform as a popstar to be vocal about issues that are close to her and many of her fans. She is a person with, may I remind you, a single vote in this election and has just as much right as you do to be angry and choose when to and to not support decisions made by the government.