Chappell Roan spoke out in support of the trans community at the 2025 Grammys last night (February 2).
The former NME Cover star, who won the Best New Artist, at the LA ceremony used her speech to take aim at record labels by talking about her past experience as a struggling new artist.
Lady Gaga used her speech during her victory for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with Bruno Mars to offer her support to the trans community.
She said: “I just want to say tonight that trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love. Thank you.”
Earlier, Roan also spoke out in support of the community on the red carpet. Seemingly drawing reference to Donald Trump‘s introduction of a “two gender” policy she said: “It’s brutal right now, but trans people have always existed, and they will forever exist. And they will never, no matter what happens, take trans joy away, and that has to be protected more than anything because I would not be here without trans girls.”
TELL THEM QUEEN #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/eWCeh3SnG8
— lea (@leasweetener) February 2, 2025
She continued: “So just know pop music is thinking about you, and cares about you, and I’m trying my best to like really stand up for you in every way I can.”
It comes after Trump ruled that the United States of America will only recognise two sexes, male and female after he was sworn into office.
During his inauguration speech, the President declared: “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”
While it initially appeared that Trump had mixed up the terms “sex” and “gender”, his administration clarified that the President would sign an executive order that would recognise two sexes only – male and female – and declare that they cannot be changed and that federal employers would need to use the term sex, not gender.
Roan has been outspoken on several occasions in the past. During the MTV VMAs 2024 she used her acceptance speech to celebrate the queer and trans community.
After refusing to initially endorse a presidential candidate, saying she wasn’t going to throw her undivided support behind any one candidate due to “problems” on both sides, she eventually revealed that she was voting for Kamala Harris.
The singer-songwriter went on to say at the time that she wants to see a change in trans rights in the US. “They cannot have cis people making decisions for trans people, period,” Roan argued.
Of the two candidates, Harris had been a longtime advocate for trans rights and the LGBTQ+ community. She also featured Roan’s music in her campaign, including the song ‘Femininomenon’.
Roan has previously protested against President Biden’s administration declining an invitation from The White House to perform for a Pride event.
She said at the 2024 Governors Ball 2024: “This is a response to the White House, who asked me to perform for Pride. We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”