Sophie Turner Defends Taylor Swift’s Place on Time’s Silence Breakers Cover

Time magazine announced that its 2017 Person of the Year would be the “Silence Breakers” – a group of women and men who catalysed the global conversation surrounding sexual harassment and assault.

One of the women featured was Taylor Swift, who, in August this year – just a couple of months before the Harvey Weinstein allegations broke – sued the man who sexually assaulted her in 2013 for a symbolic $1.

And during an interview with Time, Taylor revealed how “lonely and draining” the legal process had been, but that she wanted to offer a message of support and solidarity with other survivors.

She said:

My advice [to other victims] is that you do not blame yourself and do not accept the blame others will try to place on you. You should not be blamed for waiting 15 minutes or 15 days or 15 years to report sexual assault or harassment, or for the outcome of what happens to a person after he or she makes the choice to sexually harass or assault you.

But some people, in part because of Swift’s silence during the #metoo movement and apolitical public image, took issue with her inclusion in the issue.

4. I know Taylor Swift was included on the cover to sell magazines, and I'm not going to take away from anyone's experience, but she has never posted on her powerful social media platforms about #metoo – not even once.

— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) December 6, 2017

hi big fan love ur mag so sorry but taylor swift is only a silence breaker when she is directly affected ? she is an advocate for no one but herself..where is kesha on this cover ok g2g hate using more than 140 characters xo

— the tali lama (@thetalilama_) December 6, 2017

Taylor Swift shouldn’t be on that cover.

That should’ve gone to Kesha. #TYTLive

— kristina oakes. (@kristinakolbert) December 7, 2017

Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner saw this commentary on Twitter and shut it down with a one-word response to one critic’s tweet.

Did we really need Taylor Swift in here though?

— Kate Ritchie (@kateritchie) December 6, 2017

She Replied:

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Turner herself tweeted her support of all the people in the issue and retweeted another person’s post that contained a little jab to President Donald Trump:

YES. So very proud of these people. You will not be silenced. You are heard. And we believe you and stand with you. https://t.co/eCa0jAe8Ph

— Sophie Turner (@SophieT) December 6, 2017

Show it to your daughters. Show it to your sons. Show it to the soon-to-be-ex-President. #Loser https://t.co/6U0LJLGKkM

— Jason Isaacs (@jasonsfolly) December 6, 2017

After that, Twitter gave an outpouring of love for Turner.