Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTVDuring her acceptance speech for Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards Monday night, Taylor Swift called out the White House for not responding to her petition in support of the Equality Act. Now, the White House has responded.
In her speech Taylor said of the petition, “It now has half a million signatures, which is five times the amount that it would need to warrant a response from the White House.” She then glanced at an imaginary watch to indicate that she’s waiting.
The policy of the White House responding to petitions that garner a certain number of signatures doesn’t technically exist under the current administration, but on Tuesday, the White House responded to Taylor’s nudge anyway.
In a statement provided to ABC News, the White House said that, while it supports equal treatment of all people, it cannot support the Equality Act in its current form.
The statement reads: “The Trump Administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, the House-passed bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.”
Taylor initially launched her petition in June, at the start of Pride Month. She also penned an open letter to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, urging the Senate to support the Equality Act, which would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in the workplace, in their homes and in schools.
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