Taylor Swift gave a large donation to the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) yesterday, along with a hand-written note to Chris Sanders, the group’s leader, explaining why the project is close to her heart.

The note reads:

Dear Chris [Sanders, TEP’s executive director],

I’m writing you to say that I’m so inspired by the work you do, specifically in organizing the recent petition of Tennessee faith leaders standing up against the “slate of hate” in our state legislature. Please convey my heartfelt thanks to them and accept this donation to support the work you and these leaders are doing. 

I’m so grateful that they’re giving all people a place to worship.

Sincerely,

Taylor Swift

A link to the letter on Tennessee Equality Project’s Facebook.

TEP provides the resources for Tennesseans to contact their representatives regarding legislation that affects the LGBTQ in Tennessee and they lobby local government on behalf of the LGBTQ community.

A group of six bills listed below, taken from the groups’ website, with edited descriptions, are referred to as “the slate of hate” bills. According to TEP:

SB848/HB1152 and SB1304/HB836 promote state-sanctioned discrimination by private adoption agencies against prospective parents based on religious and moral objection.

SB364/HB563 The Business License to Discriminate bill.  The bill casts businesses rather than the LGBTQ community as possible victims of discrimination.

SB1297/HB1151  While the bill seems to be about indecent exposure, its original text tries to criminalize transgender and gender nonconforming people in restrooms and locker rooms.  It has been amended in a House subcommittee to remove the parts targeting the transgender community. 

SB1499/HB1274  This bill requires the Attorney General to defend school districts that engage in anti-transgender bathroom discrimination.  

SB1282/HB1369 The Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act is an attack on marriage equality.

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