Halsey Defends Decision to Speak on Abortion Rights: ‘My Fans Are on the Right Side of History’
Halsey is going to speak about abortion rights — whether concertgoers like it or not. On Wednesday, the singer shared a series of tweets defending the decision to speak up about reproductive rights during the Love and Power tour after some attendees walked out of a concert last weekend.
“The ‘people pay to see you sing not hear your views’ argument is so dumb. No, you paid to see me use a stage as a form of expression in the manner that I choose,” Halsey (who uses she/they pronouns) said. “Sorry you lack the critical thinking to realize that the rhetorical power of music doesn’t always serve your escapism.”
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The “people pay to see you sing not hear your views” argument is so dumb. No, you paid to see me use a stage as a form of expression in the manner that I choose. Sorry you lack the critical thinking to realize that the rhetorical power of music doesn’t always serve your escapism.
— h (@halsey) June 29, 2022
Halsey continued, “Honored to have my audience. Proud they cultivate a space where emotion and action meet. Love doing what I do. And expect me to always tell the truth when I get up there. Show must go on.”
Over the weekend, a fan of Halsey’s shared that it was “sickening” to see people walk out of the singer’s show after the singer showed abortion statistics on a screen while performing.
“The truth is that my heart breaks looking out into this audience because I see so many people who deserve to have incredible lives, who deserve the right to healthcare that they need, who deserve the right to choose themselves in a situation where there is a choice,” Halsey said during her Arizona show. “I’m hoping every single one of you, and I don’t want you to ever have to be in a situation where you don’t have access to that.”
She added, “If you don’t like it, I don’t know why you came to a Halsey concert, because I’ve never been shy that this is how [I feel].”
The musician also responded to a fan who claimed her shows would be empty if she continued using her stage to advocate for abortion rights during her shows. She pointed out she’s been showing abortion statistics on her tour since May.
I’ve had abortion statistics in my show since my tour started in May and 16,500 people came to my last show. I’m gonna be fine because my fans are on the right side of history. There’s an empty forum inside your skull. https://t.co/UPbvvJGnVR
— h (@halsey) June 30, 2022
“16,500 people came to my last show. I’m gonna be fine because my fans are on the right side of history,” she wrote. “There’s an empty forum inside your skull.”
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Halsey tweeted about her career-long activism for reproductive rights and bodily integrity.
“I’m running out of ways to word and frame the severity of the impact that fundamentalism has on our country,” she wrote, later adding, “I don’t want to just contribute to antagonistic noise. I’m just defeated at the moment.”
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