When Taylor Swift announced news of her engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce earlier this week, there was one group in particular that was left devastated.
‘Gaylors’, as they have become known in the Swiftie fandom, have speculated for years that the singer secretly likes women – and that her various relationships with men have been a cover-up.
Over the years, these wild conspiracy theories have suggested that Taylor had romantic relationships with the likes of Glee star Dianna Agron and model Karlie Kloss, insisting that Taylor’s close friendships with her female friends have actually been something more.
The theory first gained traction in 2014 when a grainy picture emerged on social media appearing to show Taylor and Karlie kissing at a 1975 concert.
However, the Love Story singer has previously confirmed she is ‘not part of’ the LGBTQ+ community and even appeared to deny the rumours when she released 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in 2023.
As Taylor is known for leaving ‘Easter eggs’ in her songs and photos, her song lyrics have often been cited in the Gaylor debate (which combines ‘gay’ and ‘Taylor’), with fans claiming her lyrics signify she is lesbian, bisexual – or not straight in some form.
Since news of Taylor’s engagement this week, the Gaylor community has gone into meltdown – but still the rumours have not been quashed, with some even claiming her relationship with Travis is ‘PR’ to cover up her true identity.
One person said: ‘Oh Christ, happy for her but this is the worst news of my life. Worse than my grandad dying.’
Taylor Swift fans have long suspected that the singer secretly likes women – although she has denied it. Pictured with Karlie Kloss at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2014
Another added: ‘I’m speechless and disappointed. All of her sapphic references for what?’
A third said that Taylor and Travis would be having a ‘lavender marriage’ (where one or both partners are queer) and are still ‘bearding’ (a partner used to conceal a person’s true sexual identity).
Referring to Taylor’s engagement caption, one Gaylor theorist said: ‘I mean, TECHNICALLY… she didn’t say SHE was getting married. Just that some gym teacher somewhere was marrying an English teacher!
‘For all we know, she just wanted an excuse to wear the actual wedding ring she got from her actual WIFE!’
Hyper-analysing Taylor’s engagement photos, showing Travis down on one knee in his garden, one fan even said she was wearing ‘black and white stripes… like she’s in jail’.
The Reddit thread r/GaylorSwift, a community which has racked up more than 50,000, has now changed its status to private following news of the engagement.
A description of the group reads: ‘Welcome to the original Gaylor subreddit, reveling in queer & sapphic analysis since 2018!
‘We’re a space for thoughtful discussion and examination of Taylor Swift, including queer readings, themes, and motifs in her work and public persona.’
The ‘Swiftgron’ theory has fuelled speculation that there was once romance between Swift and Glee star Dianna Agron. Pictured in 2014
The Gaylor theory first gained traction in 2014 when a grainy picture emerged on social media appearing to show Taylor and Karlie kissing at a 1975 concert
This week, Taylor announced her engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce (pictured) – but still this has not put the rumours to rest
The ‘Gaylor Swift’ subreddit community, which has more than 50,000 members, has switched to private this week
Swift has previously been romantically linked to Harry Styles, Conor Kennedy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lucas Till, Cory Monteith, Joe Jonas, John Mayer, Calvin Harris, Tom Hiddleston Joe Alwyn, Taylor Lautner, and most recently, Travis Kelce, to whom she is now engaged.
But the Gaylor community maintains that many of these relationships have been the result or a PR strategy, or covering up of her true identity.
The theory first entered into the mainstream fans speculated they could see Taylor and her former best friend Karlie Kloss kissing in a blurry picture from a 1975 concert in 2014.
At the time, a spokesperson for the performer was quick to nix the rumor to Gossip Cop, branding it ‘hilarious.’
Swift and Kloss’ worlds first collided in 2012 when the Mean singer admitted to Vogue that she ‘love[s]’ Kloss and wanted nothing more than to ‘bake cookies with her!’
Kloss got wind of the compliment and tried to get the ball rolling on a future hangout by tweeting out: ‘Hey @taylorswift13 love the @voguemagazine cover! Your kitchen or mine? :)’
They were first photographed together in November 2013 when the Grammy Award-winner served as the musical entertainment for that year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which Kloss walked in.
Their friendship continued to grow in 2014 as they embarked on an epic cross-country road trip and enjoyed countless nights out in New York City. The duo even got ready together for the 2014 Met Gala, which they documented on Instagram.
Since news of Taylor’s engagement this week, the Gaylor community has gone into meltdown
They were clearly close: Swift revealed to Rolling Stone that Kloss even had her own room in her NYC apartment that was decorated with pictures of the model and included a basket of her favorite Whole Food treats by the bed.
In November 2014, the besties shared an epic runway moment as Swift performed at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for a second time.
They held hands while making their way down the catwalk and shared several fun moments throughout the televised show.
In 2015, they took their friendship to a whole new level, when they teamed up to pose for a joint Vogue cover in February 2015.
‘People had been telling us for years we needed to meet,’ said the Pennsylvania native.
‘I remember makeup artists and hair people going, ‘Doesn’t she remind you of Karlie? God, she and Karlie would be best friends. They’re the same.’
Kloss also made a cameo in Swift’s Bad Blood music video in May 2015, alongside the likes of Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, Cara Delevingne and Lily Aldridge.
Since 2017, the pair’s friendship appears to have cooled off – as Kloss was spotted in the crowd at Taylor’s Eras Tour in 2023, and didn’t appear to have been invited into the VIP tent with the singer’s closest friends.
Taylor and Karlie Kloss were best friends for many years, but fans long speculated there was something more between them
The pair would often share pictures of each other on Instagram, but their friendship appeared to cool off from 2017
Taylor Swift performs as Karlie Kloss walks in the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at Lexington Avenue Armory on November 13, 2013
Kloss got engaged to business man Joshua Kushner in 2018 and they held two wedding ceremonies in the summer of 2019 – both of which Swift failed to attend.
The guest list included the likes of Kloss’ manager Scooter Braun – who, at the centre of Taylor’s dispute over her Masters recordings, is widely considered to be her nemesis.
Another central ‘Gaylor’ theory focuses on ‘Swiftgron’ – the friendship between Taylor and Glee actress Dianna Agron.
Fans first speculated that Agron, 37, and Swift, 33, were romantically involved when Agron was mentioned on the liner notes for Swift’s song 22 from her 2012 album Red.
Both Swift and Agron were friends around the time Red was released in 2012, with them both sharing photos from Shirley MacLaine’s 78th birthday party, where they both dressed up in costume.
They also shared photos from Agron’s own circus-themed birthday bash, which Swift said was, ‘the most magical night.’
A few years later, Swift gave Agron a shout-out at the 2014 American Music Awards, when she received the Dick Clark Award for Excellence.
Meanwhile Wonderland, from 1989, contains the lyrics ‘I fell down the rabbit hole’ – which fans claim is a reference to Diana’s old Tumblr blog – and ‘you flashed your green eyes at me’, also claimed to be a reference to the actress.
To a lesser extent, fans have also theorised about a potential romance between Taylor and English model Lily Donaldson. Pictured together in 2013
When Taylor sings she was ‘too in love to think straight’, one fan claimed they could see the ‘queerness’ in her lyrics, adding: ‘This is all consistent with a closeted queer relationship.’
During an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show in 2012, Dianna accidentally added fuel to the Gaylor fire.
As Kimmel enquired about her love life, he made reference to the pop singer when he asked: ‘Are you dating her? That would be great.’
To which the actress, who plays Quinn Fabray on the hit show, replied, ‘Wouldn’t that be juicy?’ before turning to the camera, blowing a kiss and purring, ‘Hi, Taylor.’
During a wide-ranging interview with Rolling Stone, Agron opened up about the rumors of romantic speculation.
When asked if she was the inspiration for 22, Agron said, ‘Me? Oh, if only! That’s more because of a friendship than being the inspiration for the song. But I would not be the person to ask about that. I cannot claim that!’
She was also asked about rumors that she was in a romantic relationship with the songstress, responding, ‘That is so interesting. I mean there have been many stories about my dating life that have been wildly untrue.’
To a lesser extent, fans have also theorised about a potential romance between Taylor and English model Lily Donaldson, with some believing the song ‘Gorgeous’ is about her, and speculating that Lily’s snake jewellery could be a reference to the Reputation album.
Lily Donaldson, Ellie Goulding, Karlie Kloss, Taylor Swift and Cara Delevingne are pictured in 2015
Taylor Swift, Martha Hunt and Karlie Kloss Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2014
Fans also see Lover, Folklore and Evermore as break-up albums about the relationship.
In 2014, Swift tweeted a request that as a ’25th birthday present from the media’ that she would like people to ‘stop accusing’ her of dating all her friends.
In 2023, when releasing her 1989 album, she appeared to address the rumours again, writing: ‘I swore off dating and decided to focus only on myself, my music, my growth, and my female friendships.
‘If I only hung out with my female friends, people couldn’t sensationalize or sexualize that right? I would learn later on that people could and people would.’
The Cats actress explicitly told Vogue in 2019 that she was ‘not a part of’ LGTBQ+ community, but was passionate about speaking up for the community.
‘I didn’t realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I’m not a part of, she admitted. ‘It’s hard to know how to do that without being so fearful of making a mistake that you just freeze.
‘Because my mistakes are very loud. When I make a mistake, it echoes through the canyons of the world. It’s clickbait, and it’s a part of my life story, and it’s a part of my career arc.’
Even amid Taylor’s outright denials of the rumours, fans have continued to analyse her lyrics for any hidden signal that she may not be straight.
Fans have also theorised some of Taylor’s songs originally had different lyrics. Pictured: Lyrics to The Very First Night; Swifties have highlighted in red the lyrics they believe were originally intended
One song used in Gaylor theories is The Very First Night, released as a vault track on Red (Taylor’s Version), released in November 2022.
The ‘vault tracks’ were written by Taylor at the time of the album’s original release, but did not make the final cut for the album. However, many have since been added to Taylor’s re-recorded albums as a thank you to fans for their support.
In the track, Taylor sings: ‘Didn’t read the note on the Polaroid picture / They don’t know how much I miss you.’
However, people have since speculated that the lyrics were originally supposed to read ‘I miss her’, in order to rhyme with ‘picture’ from the line before.
‘It was definitely meant to be ‘how much I miss her” one person said on the Reddit forum.
They added: ‘It’s almost painful to force out that you when it is in a rhyme sequence with ‘whisper’ and ‘picture’. And she doesn’t even say ‘miss ya’. It’s miss you. It isn’t natural for her songwriting process.’
A second added: ‘I think it’s one of the most brilliant and meta things she’s ever written, no one knows how much she misses her because she doesn’t actually say it.’
Others believe Swift swapped a lyric from Reputation track New Years Day from ‘I want your midnights’ to ‘I want her midnights’ during a 2019 performance at the Time100 gala.
Taylor’s You Need To Calm Down (pictured) song from 2019 makes multiple references to the LGBTQ community
At the same time, Swift teased an upcoming announcement for April 26 – Lesbian Visibility Day – leading fans to speculate she would be coming out. However, it turned out to be an announcement for the lead single of her album, Lover, called ‘ME!’
When Taylor released You Need To Calm Down in 2019, LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD saw a spike in donations.
The song contained multiple references in support of the community, including: ‘Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD? (You could be GLAAD)’ and ‘control your urges to scream about all the people you hate / Cause shade never made anybody less gay.’
In 2024 the New York Times ran a near 5,000 word opinion piece speculating on Taylor’s sexuality, titled Look What We Made Taylor Do.
Shortly afterwards, an anonymous source described as ‘close to the situation’ told CNN that the allegations were ‘invasive, untrue, and inappropriate’.
The insider told the outlet: ‘Because of her massive success, in this moment there is a Taylor-shaped hole in people’s ethics.
‘This article wouldn’t have been allowed to be written about Shawn Mendes or any male artist whose sexuality has been questioned by fans.’
‘There seems to be no boundary some journalists won’t cross when writing about Taylor, regardless of how invasive, untrue, and inappropriate it is – all under the protective veil of an ‘opinion piece’.
On Tuesday, Taylor announced her engagement to Travis Kelce after a secret proposal earlier this month
Swift captioned the post: ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married’
On Tuesday, Taylor announced her engagement to Travis Kelce after a secret proposal earlier this month.
The pop icon and the NFL star, both 35, who have been dating for two years, officially revealed their marriage news on Tuesday with a romantic engagement photoshoot showing Kelce proposing in a rose garden.
Swift captioned the post: ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.’
The Grammy winner also revealed her mammoth diamond engagement ring in the post – the stunning band is an Old Mine Brilliant Cut and appears to be from Kindred Lubeck at Artifex Fine Jewelry. It is worth an estimated $675,000 to $1 million.
The star shared the post on her Instagram, set to the ballad So High School, which is about her enduring love for Kelce.
The couple went public with their relationship in September 2023 when the singer appeared alongside Kelce’s mother, Donna, at a Kansas City Chiefs game.
Since that day their romance has captivated the world, with Swift supporting Kelce’s run to two Super Bowls while the NFL star has traveled alongside her around the globe on her wildly successful Eras Tour.