Taylor Swift's highly-anticipated music video 'Lavender Haze' was a treat in many respects: it was her first video in three months, the first video for her latest album 'Midnights' but most importantly, trans model and actor Laith Ashley stars alongside the Grammy award-winner.
"The Lavender Haze video is out now. There is lots of lavender. There is lots of haze. There is my incredible costar Laith Ashley who I absolutely adored working with," Taylor Swift said in an Instagram post.
Famous for being one of the first transgender male models to appear in a national campaign in the US, Laith Ashley thanked Taylor Swift for the experience and platform because, as he said, "representation matters".
"Thank you, Taylor Swift, for allowing me to play a small part in your story ...Thank you for being an ally and for continuously using your platform for good. Representation matters. And love will always win!" Laith Ashley said on Instagram.
Speaking to Elle magazine, Laith Ashley said that he does not want to be put on any sort of pedestal or say that he represents all of the LGBT community as that wouldn't "be fair". However, he acknowledges that representation, especially on a platform as large as Taylor Swift's, is important.
"I've gotten thousands of messages from young trans people and trans people of all ages saying how important and how huge it is for someone with the platform that Taylor Swift has, especially in the times that we're in now," Laith Ashley said.
Politicians across the US have introduced 124 bills which restrict LGBTQ people, targeting their freedom of expression, the safety of transgender students, and access to health care for gender dysphoria, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
According to Time magazine, 2021 was the deadliest year for transgender and gender non-conforming people in the US on record with at least 50 trans and gender non-conforming people being killed that year alone.
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