Although most of her peers, including Charli XCX, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Ariana Grande have endorsed Kamala Harris at this point, Chappell Roan is still refusing to throw her support behind either presidential candidate. The Missouri-born pop star is obviously left-leaning, but she’s made it clear that she’s not satisfied with what she perceives as the Democratic Party’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights or the Israel-Gaza war. This week, Chappell’s facing a new wave of backlash after her September 20 comments to The Guardian about not endorsing a candidate. While some of her fans share her political opinions, lots of her queer and progressive followers are disappointed that she won’t support the party that’s fighting for their community.

Chappell’s various comments about the upcoming election have honestly been a little confusing. Is she voting for Kamala Harris? Is she voting at all? Here’s a breakdown of Chappell Roan’s politics and plans for the 2024 election, based on all of her recent statements.

Chappell Roan’s Politics Explained: Where She Stands On Kamala Harris And Palestine

Chappell Roan’s Stance On LGBTQ+ Rights And Palestine, Explained

Chappell is passionate about standing up for the rights of folks in her community, the LGBTQ+ community. She includes local drag artists as supporting acts at all of her shows, and for each U.K. ticket sold, £1 went to the LGBTQ+ rights charity Kaleidoscope Trust. When asked by The Guardian about the change she most wants to see in US politics, the singer swiftly responded, “Trans rights. They cannot have cis people making decisions for trans people, period.”

She’s also a strong advocate for innocent civilians in Palestine who are victims of Israel’s ongoing attacks. At her merch stand in Manchester, England, Chappell sold signed risograph prints for £100, all of which went toward aid for Gaza. “It’s just my duty to help send resources to a community that is absolutely being destroyed,” she explained to The Guardian.

At New York City’s Gov Ball music festival in June 2024, Chappell made a statement about Gaza and the Biden administration’s involvement in the Israel-Gaza war. Dressed in Statue of Liberty drag, she called for “freedom for all oppressed people in occupied territories” and revealed that she had turned down an invitation to perform at the White House for Pride. “We want liberty, freedom and justice for all,” Chappell addressed the administration, adding, “When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”

She later told Rolling Stone that she originally planned to show up to the Pride event and protest the administration’s involvement. However, her publicist urged her not to for safety reasons.

Who Is Chappell Roan Voting For?

Although she’s not comfortable endorsing either presidential candidate, Chappell has now confirmed that she’ll be voting for Vice President Harris. “Yeah, I’m voting for fucking Kamala, but I’m not settling for what has been offered,” she explained.

In that latest TikTok, Chappell says, “Obviously, fuck the policies on the right, but fuck some of the policies on the left. There is no way I can stand behind some of the left’s completely transphobic and completely genocidal views.” She calls both parties “fucked up,” but states, “Yes, one’s obviously better than the other.” The singer is clearly very frustrated with people who have been taking her comments out of context or making incorrect assumptions about her voting plans.

“Right now, it’s more important than ever to use your vote, and I will do whatever it takes to protect people’s civil rights, especially the LGBTQ+ community,” she clarified to Rolling Stone during her September 10 interview. “My ethics and values will always align with that, and that hasn’t changed with a different nominee.” Chappell added that she feels “lucky to be alive during an incredibly historic time period when a woman of color is a presidential nominee.”

Basically, Chappell’s casting (from her POV) a harm reduction vote for Harris, despite not endorsing her.

Why Won’t Chappell Roan Endorse Kamala Harris?

Based on her various TikToks and interviews on the subject, Chappell is not endorsing Harris due to her involvement in the attacks on Gaza. “I have so many issues with our government in every way,” she told The Guardian. “There are so many things that I would want to change. So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides.” She encouraged people to use their critical thinking skills as well as their vote. “Vote small,” she suggested. “Vote for what’s going on in your city.” It’s unclear if she was also encouraging folks to vote for president.

To be clear, Harris is not Biden, has her own views on Gaza, and will have more power as President to impact the situation than she’s had as the Vice President. Back in March, she called for an immediate, temporary ceasefire in Gaza and has continued to pressure Israel to pause the fighting since then. In July, Harris vowed to “not be silent” on Gaza. After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she told reporters that she expressed her “serious concern” to him and told him it’s time to work out a ceasefire deal. “We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies,” Harris said. “We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also confirmed in August that Harris has been “working tirelessly to secure a cease-fire in Gaza.”

Accepting the nomination for President at the Democratic National Convention in August, Harris also spoke about the war in Gaza and Palestinians’ right to self determination. She said, “President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.” Notably, Israel, which is a democracy, is an important U.S. ally in the middle east despite its horrendous leadership, and while many ceasefire deals have been proposed and supported by the United States, none have been accepted by both Israel and Hamas.

In regard to Chappell’s other primary concern, the LGBTQ+ community, Harris has worked to protect LGBTQ+ rights throughout her career. Long before same-sex marriage was legal nationwide, Harris performed one of the first same-sex marriages in the U.S. in 2004 when she was San Francisco district attorney. In 2010, as Attorney General of California, she ordered the Los Angeles County Clerk to begin same-sex marriages “immediately” after a ban on the unions was overturned in court. As DA and later AG she took on the “gay panic” defense, making California the first state to ban the legal loophole and protect victims of hate crimes. She also started a hate crimes unit in California dedicated to protecting LGBTQ+ teenagers.

More recently, as VP, she has helped introduce Title IX updates, which include students’ right to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity. In addition, the Biden-Harris administration announced protections for LGBTQ+ kids in the forms of providing mental health resources, funding, and education, while the Justice Department has been suing states over gender-affirming care bans. They also federally protected same-sex marriage with the help of Congress so it will not meet the same fate as abortion care.

Notably, Project 2025, which is meant to serve as a game plan for a new Trump administration should he win in November, calls for establishing marriage as a union between a man and a woman, referring to that as the “natural family structure.” It claims: “Only heterosexual, two-parent families are safe for children.” In addition to other deeply concerning policies, it would end anti-discrimination laws based on gender and sexual orientation in the Affordable Care Act, eliminate gender affirming health care in Medicare and Medicaid, and narrowly define “sex discrimination” as a “biological binary.”