Taylor Swift, the American pop star long accused of sidestepping politics to broaden her appeal, waded into the gun control debate Friday with a clear message: guns don’t belong in schools.
Swift used her Instagram account Friday to throw her support behind March For Our Lives, an anti-gun protest taken up in the wake of the Parkland, Fla. school shooting, where 17 people, including students and teachers, were killed in February.
The march will take place Saturday in Washington, D.C. More than 800 sister marches are being held across the world, including rallies in Edmonton, Toronto, St. John’s, Montreal and Fredericton.
It’s unclear if Swift will attend the D.C. rally. But she said she’s made a donation to March For Our Lives for “everyone affected by these tragedies” and “to support gun reform.”
“No one should have to go to school in fear of gun violence. Or to a nightclub. Or to a concert. Or to a movie theater. Or to their place of worship,” Swift wrote in the post, shared with her 106 million followers.
The comment appears to reference similar high-profile American shootings, including the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida, the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, the 2012 theatre shooting in Aurora, Colorado and the Charleston church shooting in 2015.
“I’m so moved by the Parkland High School students, faculty, by all families and friends of victims who have spoken out, trying to prevent this from happening again,” Swift wrote.
It’s a significant step for Swift, who – unlike many of her musical peers – did not weigh in during the lead-up to the 2016 U.S. election other than to encourage her fans to get out and vote.
Barack and Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney have also voiced their public support for the movement.
