QUESTIONS NOBODY IS ASKING: Why Do People Care That Chappell Roan Won’t Endorse Kamala Harris?
Chappell Roan isn’t endorsing a candidate for president. While this seems hardly newsworthy, the internet virtually erupted in horror that the 26-year-old musician, who shot to fame earlier this year, doesn’t want to use her frame to urge fans to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I have so many issues with our government in every way,” Roan told The Guardian last week. “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.”
Backlash to Roan’s comments swiftly proliferated online.
“Chappell roan is an embarrassment to lesbians,” one X user wrote in a post with more than 4 million views. “You can’t borrow from drag aesthetics and embrace your sexuality and then pretend the party that would criminalize our happiness is the same as the one who protects it.”
“How do you feel about tens of thousands of pregnant rape victims forced to carried their rapists’ children to term?” reads another viral response. “LGTBQ+ rights? The future of democracy? The future of the planet? Anything???”
These users weren’t alone in their outrage. One post on X detailing the interview has 74 million views and counting, with tens of thousands of comments and quotes debating Roan’s comments.
