“Risk Personal and Professional Harm to Taylor Swift”: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Disappointed with NYT for Speculating Pop Star’s S*xuality

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been a vocal critic of the mainstream media for decades now and he doesn’t shy away from holding them accountable whenever he sees something out of pocket. In fact, the Los Angeles Lakers legend recently called out a January New York Times piece by editor Anna Marks that hinted that Taylor Swift is hiding her s*xuality.

On his Substack, Abdul-Jabbar referenced The Guardian, which had the headline, “New York Times faces backlash for essay speculating on Taylor Swift’s s*xuality.” While referencing the piece, the Lakers legend opined that the NYT piece could be potentially damaging for Swift.

He recognized the author’s “legal right to speculate about an important pop culture figure.” However, despite such legal cover, he expected the author to act with more “wisdom” and “responsibility”. As per the NYT editor Anna Marks, Swift has been masking her s*xuality and giving hints about it through “coded lyrics”. Abdul-Jabbar found this reasoning absurd and wondered why a celebrity of her stature would be fearful in this case. 

The Hall-of-Famer also pointed out that the pop star is “outspoken” and since she wears her heart on her sleeve, she doesn’t need to hide her s*xuality. The six-time NBA Champion also added that even if Swift were part of the LGBTQIA+ community, the pop star might have hidden her s*xuality because of legible fears or personal reasons.

‘Exposing’ her in this manner could thus put her in danger. Therefore, Abdul-Jabbar accused the NYT editor of being “willing to risk personal and professional harm to Swift in exchange for some momentary notoriety.” 

He directed the readers’ attention to The Beatles’ Paul McCartney’s death hoaxes during the mid to late 1960s. During the period, a renowned attorney F. Lee Bailey put out a TV special examining the evidence of McCartney’s death. The mere examination led the attorney into trouble and put a “blot” on his reputation. Citing this example, Kareem argued that such an endeavor isn’t worth it, as the short-lived fame can ham the long-term reputation.

Is it worth contemplating Taylor Swift’s sexuality?

Questions about Swift’s s*xuality have been there for some time. For an A-list celebrity like her, such murmurs are rather commonplace. Meanwhile, Swift has been a fierce advocate for providing a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people. During the Chicago leg of her Eras Tour, she declared, “I wish that every place was safe and beautiful for people in the LGBTQ community. We can’t talk about pride without talking about pain.”

Considering the abundance of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills worldwide, she also expressed, “Right now and in recent years, there have been so many harmful pieces of legislation that have put people in the LGBTQ and queer community at risk. It’s painful for everyone. Every ally, every loved one, every person in these communities.”

As for Swift herself, she has publicly exhibited heterosexual dating preferences. Her romance with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is a prime example of that. They have been spotted together publicly on numerous occasions and some believe that they may take the next step soon.