Tears, Dolls, and VMAs

ARTURO HOLMES/Getty Images For MTV

By Ari Gappmayer, Arts Editor

On Sept. 7, 2025, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Tears” performance at the VMAs showcased signs that called for the protection and support of transgender and LGBTQ+ individuals. The musical artist danced alongside Drag Queens and transgender dancers who held up the famed phrase “DOLLS DOLLS DOLLS” in response to what many see as the United States’ regressive political climate.

“DOLLS DOLLS DOLLS” echoes a past spectacle; “Protect the Dolls” calls for support of transgender rights. Dolls, an affectionate term for trans women, has transformed into a demand for respect, visibility, and protection. This movement has popularized receently due to the danger that transgender communities are in now. As of 2025, half of LGBTQ+ violence is targeted towards transgender or gender non-conforming individuals. The term “Dolls,” and use in fashion and celebrities, was popularized by fashion designer, Conner Ives, to advocate that the lives of queer and especially transgender models/people are filled with hardship and discrimination.

The Drag Queens holding these signs weren’t just performing; they were resisting erasure.

“I feel like her performance helps to normalize and advocate for queer communities, especially transwomen, despite the fact that artists today tend to forget to speak up for the very people that inspire their work,” junior Jaz Escano siad. “We live in a society that’s continually pushing farther Right, that rejects people on the basis of who they are.”

Under the Trump Admisistration, aggressive executive orders and deconstructive legalities protecting queer Americans are purging “gender ideology.” As of January, Executive Order 14187, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” restricts access to gender-affirming care and withholds federal identification documents from youth seeking affirmation. Concurrently to these halts in medical care, the Trump administration attempted to ban identity corrections on passports. However, the court enacted a preliminary injunction.

Legislators, nonetheless, have continued to pass bans and defund gender affirming care, enforcing criminal penalties towards medical providers. To further defund queer protection, the national LGBTQ+ youth hotline was terminated on July 17, 2025. The livelihood of queer Americans are at threat, and no longer safe.

Carpenter has taken this opportunity to use a wide-spread event to speak for LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as the rising hate that these laws brought upon the community. She has been an open supporter of queer rights since 2018, and has hosted fundraisers in support of LGBTQ+ lives.

“I believe that this could be an amazing moment in protecting LGBTQ+ youth right now like myself and others,” junior Sophia Morrello said. “However, it could be a double edged sword as many people could believe that it could be performative. Sabrina has been under controversy for one of her album covers.”

Identity and the embracement of her body has always been a controversial topic that Carpenter faced due to provocative imagery and her music’s sensual nature. She faces arguments pointing out the fact that her latest album, which her “Tears” performance comes from, promotes sexist stereotypes. However, it’s ambiguous whether or not she argues for or mocks these stereotypes as seen within the content of her lyrics.

“I find [Sabrina’s] lyrics to be eye-opening and awakening in how limited identity rights are in the political atmosphere,” junior Brighton Ortiz Luis said, “They’re also a safe haven for embracing identity.”

Legal, fundamental rights are eroding daily, and Carpenter has allowed for people to find themselves in her music. Being queer is just the same as everyone else, finding yourself; finding your identity.

Queer voices aren’t silent; society has gone out of their way to speak over them.