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Dressed As The Statue Of Liberty, Chappell Roan's Reasoning For Turning Down The White House Is Going Viral

"We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all."

Natasha Jokic
by Natasha Jokic

BuzzFeed Staff

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Chappell Roan explained why she declined to perform at White House Pride event.

Chappell Roan with long curly hair wearing a suit, skirt, and boots poses in front of an ASCAP backdrop
Lester Cohen / Getty Images for ASCAP

The singer, 26, took to the Governor's Ball music festival this weekend dressed as the Statue of Liberty. She said that she was "in drag as the biggest queen of them all,” and then quoted part of the poem written on the statue's base: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

Marleen Moise / Getty Images

Appearing emotional, Chappell continued, "That means freedom in trans rights. That means freedom in women's rights. And it especially means freedom for all oppressed people in occupied territories."

Rolling Stone / Via tiktok.com
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Elsewhere in her performance, according to fan videos from the event, Chappell directly addressed the White House while dressed as a yellow taxi. “In response to the White House, who asked me to perform for Pride. We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come," she declared.

Singer Chappell Roan performs on stage in a corset outfit with fringe and fishnet stockings
Taylor Hill / Getty Images for Boston Calling

Chappell then proceeded to sing "My Kink Is Karma," a song which includes the lyrics, "It's hot when you're going through hell / And you're hating yourself, I'm feeling myself / It's hot when you know that you're caught / And you're getting pissed off, it's getting me off."

Drag queen A’Whora performs on stage, dressed in a Statue of Liberty-inspired outfit with a spiked crown. She holds a microphone and extends one arm upwards
Marleen Moise / Getty Images

A representative for Chappell subsequently confirmed to Variety that the White House did contact her management, which was then declined.

Jessi Ware performs on stage wearing a glittering purple dress, holding a microphone, with dramatic makeup and a large choker necklace
Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Acrisure Arena

All in all, it was a hit:

chappell roan opened her gov ball set by projecting a giant "am i gay" quiz onto the jumbotron, popped out of an apple in full green body paint as the statue of liberty, told the white house to go fuck themselves, and played a new song, and this is why she is the moment

— jaime (@triptojaimeland) June 9, 2024
Twitter: @triptojaimeland

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