Arts & Entertainment
Taylor Swift’s new app taken over by Trump supporters, homophobic users
the fan forum became a political debate between fans


(Screenshot via Instagram.)
Taylor Swift’s new social networking app The Swift Life has been taken over by political commentary, Trump supporters and homophobic comments.
The Swift Life is for Swifties to access news, video footage, pictures and Taylor Swift themed-emojis. Fans can also post content that Swift can see and discuss their favorite artist in forums.
The app encourages users to “help make this a safe and inclusive place for everyone to enjoy” and if they “see anything inappropriate, including instances of bullying or harassment, please report it.”
However, the forums have taken a turn from discussing Swift to political commentary.
“Republicans and Trump supporters have just as much right to be here as everyone,” one fan named Britt posted. “There are people who voted for him or may vote Republican but didn’t vote for him. They may not agree with his beliefs but at least he supports our troops.”
“I just don’t accept gays lesbians and bisexuals,” another fan commented on the post.
so apparently whilst i was asleep the swift life turned into a hot ass mess for republicans and homophobes to vent on…The pic.twitter.com/HSwHrgCz5r
— rachel loves taylor (@tswiftsgomez) December 16, 2017
The Daily Beast reports that fans took the conversation to Twitter with liberal fans disgusted by the comments, conservative fans upset they couldn’t express free speech and foreign fans feeling the app’s purpose of fangirling over Swift had been taken away.
“Speak now and forever hold your peace. Not on TSL. Speak now here and everyone jumps down your throat,” Britt reportedly wrote in a now-deleted post.
The Swift Life: beomes a breeding ground for racist and homophobic swifties in the 3 days since its US-only release
Me: pic.twitter.com/Tr1H0PAMC7
— Na’ama (@Mind_Twist_You) December 16, 2017
The UK haven’t even got the swift life app yet and it’s already being destroyed by homophobes and trump supports I’m-
— Grace ? (@SwiftieRoisa) December 16, 2017
Swift recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to blog PopFront for a blog post connecting her single “Look What You Made Me Do” to white supremacist culture. The pop star has also never denounced white supremacists who have deemed the pop star their “Aryan goddess.”

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(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)






















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In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.

Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”