Taylor Swift makes emotional speech on 1-year anniversary of sexual assault lawsuit win

Fans paid tribute to the singer in response.
Taylor Swift makes emotional speech on 1-year anniversary of sexual assault lawsuit win
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 11: Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 11, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by John Shearer/TAS18/Getty Images for TAS) Credit: Getty Images for TAS

A year after Taylor Swift's groping trial, the singer is still speaking out.

In an emotional speech given during her show in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday, Swift sat on a piano bench and reflected on her rollercoaster of a year — which included the 2017 lawsuit she won against radio host David Mueller after he groped her during a meet-and-greet in 2013.

"A year ago I was not playing in a stadium in Tampa. I was in a court room in Denver, Colorado," she began, "and honestly I was there for a sexual assault case and this day a year ago was the day that the jury sided in my favor and said that they believe in me."

"I guess I just think about the people who weren't believed, and the people who haven't been believed, and the people who are afraid to speak up because they think that they won't be believed," Swift continued.

"I just want to say that I'm sorry to everyone who wasn't believed because I don't know what turn my life would have taken if people didn't believe in me when I said that something had happened to me. I guess I just wanted to say that we have so much further to go and I'm so grateful for you guys for being there for me for what was a really horrible part of my life," she shared.

Swift went on to thank fans for opening their lives to her and for sticking with her through ups and downs. In a show of support, fans shared photos of $1 bills (or the equivalent currency) -- a reference to the amount Mueller was mandated to pay Swift after the lawsuit.

In 2017, Swift shared her story with TIME as part of its #MeToo movement coverage.

"I think that this moment is important for awareness, for how parents are talking to their children, and how victims are processing their trauma, whether it be new or old," she told the magazine at the time. "The brave women and men who have come forward this year have all moved the needle in terms of letting people know that this abuse of power shouldn't be tolerated."

Topics Celebrities

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