Taylor Swift dropped a brand new music video for her track “Lavender Haze” at midnight on Friday, during which her love curiosity is performed by a trans mannequin, Laith Ashley. He and a few of Swift’s followers applauded her for casting a trans man, giving illustration to different trans individuals. 

“Thanks [Taylor Swift] for permitting me to play a small half in your story,” Laith Ashley, whose full identify is Laith Ashley De La Cruz, wrote on Instagram. “You’re good and that is an expertise I’ll always remember. It was actually magical.”

Swift directed the music video, which is for the second single off of her latest album “Midnights.” Ashley mentioned Swift’s storytelling skills continues to go away him “in awe, impressed, and hopeful.”

He additionally thanked her for giving others illustration together with his casting. “Thanks for being an ally. Illustration issues,” he wrote. “AND LOVE WILL ALWAYS WIN!”

Ashley has additionally appeared in “Pose” and a music video for drag queen Manila Luzon’s track “That is a Man Maury.” He was additionally on the fact collection “Strut.” 

He was the primary transgender man to be featured in a Diesel marketing campaign, according to his IMDB bio. Earlier than changing into a mannequin and actor, he was a counselor for homeless youth in New York Metropolis. 

Followers and mates left congratulatory feedback on Ashley’s put up concerning the “Lavender Haze” music video. “Thanks for representing all trans and being a part of historical past for us all. Lovely music video,” one commenter wrote.

“Your impression is totally not a small half,” one other wrote. 

“You’re an inspiration to the lgbtq+ neighborhood,” commented one other. 

Swift additionally posted concerning the music video on her Instagram, sharing a number of pictures from the shoot. “There may be my unbelievable costar [Laith Ashley] who I completely adored working with,” she wrote. “This was the primary video I wrote out of the three which were launched, and this one actually helped me conceptualize the world and temper of Midnights, like a sultry sleepless 70’s fever dream. Hope you prefer it.”

Swift additionally directed the music video for “Antihero,” the primary single off of her newest album. And he or she has directed different music movies up to now, together with one for “You Must Calm Down” with Drew Kirsch, and “All Too Effectively: The Brief Movie,” which each earned her an MTV Video Music Award for greatest route. The latter additionally obtained a Grammy nomination for greatest music video and may be submitted to the Oscars, in response to ET. 

The video for “You Must Calm Down” featured themes of LGBTQ acceptance and is full of celebrities, most of them an integral a part of LGBTQ visibility: Laverne Cox, Dexter Mayfield, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Justin Mikita, Hayley Kiyoko, Chester Lockhart, and RuPaul, in addition to forged members of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” She additionally highlighted the Equality Act on the finish of the video. The invoice would shield LGBTQ rights. 

Swift has additionally advocated for LGBTQ rights and the invoice a number of different occasions. In 2019, whereas performing “You Must Calm Down” on the VMAs, she confirmed help for the invoice and referred to as out the Trump administration for not responding to a petition that urged lawmakers to swiftly go it.

“On this video, a number of factors had been made, so that you voting for the video means that you really want a world the place we’re all handled equally beneath the regulation, no matter who we love, no matter how we determine,” Swift mentioned throughout her acceptance speech for the fan-voted Video of the 12 months award.

It was introduced final yr that Swift will write and direct a movie produced by Searchlight Photos, the movie firm mentioned, in response to Entertainment Tonight.

Caitlin O’Kane

Caitlin O’Kane is a digital content material producer protecting trending tales for CBS Information and its excellent news model, The Uplift.