Chappell Roan Doesn't Regret Passing on White House Invite
Erika Goldring
Pop superstar and “Midwest Princess” Chappell Roan spoke on the 2024 election and more in a new cover story with Rolling Stone.
Chappell Roan announced during her June 2024 Governor’s Ball set that she turned down an invitation to perform at the White House for Pride Month, dedicating her performance of “My Kink is Karma” to the Biden administration. “We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come,” she said at the time. Roan told Rolling Stone’s Brittany Spanos that she originally planned to accept the invitation and then refuse to perform, instead planning to read “some poems from Palestinian women.”
“I was trying to do it as tastefully as I could because all I wanted to do was yell. I had to find something that’s tasteful and to the point and meaningful, and not make it about me and how I feel. I don’t know if I’ll ever get that close in direct sight of the president ever in my life. This is my shot,” Roan told Spanos. Ultimately, she passed on the invitation.
Roan also expressed disgust, in Spanos’s words, to Rolling Stone over those who chose to take the decision as backing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. “It is not so black and white that you hate one and you like the other,” said Roan. “I’m not going to go to the White House because I am not going to be a monkey for Pride. And thank God I didn’t go because they just made a huge statement about trans kids a couple weeks ago.”
Roan was referring to a policy announcement the White House made in June, then walked back in July, regarding state bans on gender-affirming surgeries for trans youth. In August, trans people and issues were largely absent from the Democratic National Convention stage.
“I’m pretty, ‘F*ck the government, and f*ck everything that’s going on right now,’” Roan told Rolling Stone during an early July interview while raising her middle fingers. Writer Spanos noted that “Roan’s views echoed those of a lot of young voters, especially in the face of multiple wars, drag bans, and diminished health-care access for both trans people and those seeking abortions.” Roan continued, “I don’t have a side because I hate both sides, and I’m so embarrassed about everything going on right now.”
This conversation was prior to the announcement that Vice President Kamala Harris would take the Democratic nomination; Spanos writes that Roan’s popularity became an active part of the Harris campaign, from featuring “Femininomenon” in campaign TikToks to the Harris-Walz hats closely resembling Roan’s “Midwest Princess” merch.
“Right now, it’s more important than ever to use your vote, and I will do whatever it takes to protect people’s civil rights, especially the LGBTQ+ community,” Roan told Rolling Stone in August. “My ethics and values will always align with that, and that hasn’t changed with a different nominee. I feel lucky to be alive during an incredibly historical time period when a woman of color is a presidential nominee.”
Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
Want more U.S. government coverage?
