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Sabrina Carpenter VMAs 2025
Sabrina Carpenter VMAs 2025
Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images for MTV
Culture > Entertainment

Sabrina Carpenter’s 2025 VMAs Signs Made A Trans Rights Statement

Sabrina Carpenter’s 2025 VMAs performance was a highly anticipated one, as she took to the stage to sing her new song “Tears” live for the first time. But what some fans weren’t expecting was for Carpenter to make such a bold statement about a prevalent social issue right there on the stage. In case you missed the signs that were held during Carpenter’s performance — and the people who were holding the signs — here’s what to know.

During Carpenter’s performance, her background dancers — some of whom were familiar faces from RuPaul’s Drag Race like Willam, Laganja Estranga, Lexi Love, Symone, and Denali, as well as iconic ballroom performers like Honey Balenciaga and Malik Brehon — held signs in support of the transgender community, with phrases including “protect the dolls,” “support drag,” “in trans we trust,” and “love each other,” to name a few.

If you haven’t seen the music video for “Tears,” then the “Manchild” singer’s decision for this performance might come across as an incongruous one to you, since the song “Tears” is about Carpenter’s horniness for the idea of her lover being responsible and treating her right — not too much to do with trans rights, right? However, the video provides some context; it’s an homage to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a cult LGBTQ+ classic film, and features actor Colman Domingo — a queer actor and activist for trans rights — in drag. Clearly, Carpenter is committed to uplifting the LGBTQ+ community with this song, and her VMAs performance doubled down on that fact.

Later on in the show, Carpenter won Best Album and thanked her “queens on stage” in her acceptance speech. “This world, as we all know, can be so full of criticism and discrimination and negativity,” she said. “So to get to be part of something that can bring light, make you smile, make you dance, and make you feel like the world is your f*cking oyster. I’m so so grateful to do that.”

Online, fans praised the singer for being an ally to the trans community in such a public way, especially since the award show was notably very quiet in terms of political commentary.

Carpenter’s VMAs performance comes on the heels of the release of her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend. On the new release, Carpenter goes all in, singing about her steamy desires and what dating looks like nowadays, with influences from multiple genres — including country, disco, and R&B influences — woven into the album’s production. Man’s Best Friend has received overall positive critical reception, despite controversy over its album cover.

Carpenter isn’t new to putting on show-stopping performances. She’s become known for moments like her frilly lingerie outfits, those spicy “Juno” positions, her hilarious “Nonsense” outros — and now, there’s the clear statement she made in her VMAs “Tears” performance.

Alisha Allison

Buffalo '24

Alisha Allison started as a national writer for the Entertainment/Culture section of Her Campus in January 2024.

Alisha graduated from University at Buffalo. She has gained journalism experience from writing stories for her journalism classes, as an assistant editor on the news desk (former staff and contributing writer) for her university’s student-led newspaper, and a writer for Her Campus Buffalo. She was on the executive board for two chapters of national organizations at UB. Alisha plans on attending law school in the future.

In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and spending time with her friends and family. She also likes watching television shows, movies, and video essays, and reading novels.