Hayley Williams spoke out against ‘Don’t Say Gay’ laws onstage.
“Apparently we can’t say gay here. I want to see the gayest sh*t I’ve ever seen,” she roared, to the crowd’s delight, during a concert in Florida.
Florida’s Senate passed a bill banning schools and teachers from covering topics related to sexuality or gender identity in March 2022.
The video posted on the band’s official Tiktok was captioned “The Don’t Say Gay bill is a thinly veiled attempt to further stigmatize the LGBTQIA+ community. It is rooted in hate and fear.”
“We stand with LGBTQIA+ families, students, & teachers in Florida.”
This was well-received by fans, with one commenting “Honestly big respect to @paramore for calling out the don’t say gay bill and making their concerts lgbtq+ safe and friendly. another reason i love this band.”
honestly big respect to @paramore for calling out the don’t say gay bill and making their concerts lgbtq+ safe and friendly. another reason i love this band pic.twitter.com/LVfKsMouoK
— zoya (@zoyashvikh) November 17, 2022
Another fan shared a video of the star jokingly singing ‘gay’ on repeat.
“gay” – hayley williams 2022 pic.twitter.com/SKwUhF6iYR
— jen’s alt (@YELYAHRIOTT) November 17, 2022
Hayley has made multiple commitments to civil rights online, previously sharing information about abortion access following the overturn of Roe versus Wade.
In 2020, Hayley addressed her fanbase, supporting LGBTQ+ rights: “Paramore do not condone religiously/politically dogmatic beliefs which leave our LGBTQ+ friends, fans, & family feeling abandoned and hopeless.”
She also implied the reason for Josh Farro leaving the band in 2010 was due to his homophobia, after he was alleged to have described homosexuality as a ‘perversion’.
“There’s a reason there are only 3 people left in Paramore. Surprise, haters, it ain’t cause of me.”
Paramore are currently touring North America, with a UK tour scheduled for April 2023.
Their most recent album, ‘This Is Why’, came out in February.