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By Michael Roppolo
/ CBS News
Ryan Clifford is not afraid to sing it proudly: He’s a Swiftie. But he’s quick to admit he is not the singer’s biggest fan. That title is reserved for someone else – his husband, Charlie Bird.
“Charlie’s on another level for sure,” he told CBS News.
With Charlie as the ultimate Swiftie and Ryan’s signature blonde locks, they are the perfect Taylor Swift content creators. And they’ve found a way to use their fandom to give back to others.
It all began when the couple went viral last year for their Halloween couple costume: Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce — with Ryan as the singer and Charlie as the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.
That outfit was painstakingly put together days before Halloween. The couple vlogged about the process on their YouTube channel. Months later, they said evidence of their hard work was still being discovered.
“I’m still finding sequins everywhere,” Charlie said. “Sequins and glitter everywhere, which means it was a good time,” his husband added.
The husbands also went viral earlier this year when they recreated each of Taylor Swift’s album covers in anticipation of the release of “The Tortured Poets Department.”
The content creators have turned their viral album cover project into a calendar and they’ve sold more than 300 copies.
“We’re just lucky that I’ve got long, curly hair, which makes it versatile,” Ryan said.
Ryan said he has always enjoyed Swift, but since he met Charlie, it’s become something they enjoy together.
“As Ryan has gone deeper and deeper into Taylor Swift’s discography, it has allowed me to share more about my life before I met him,” Charlie told CBS News. “So many of her songs remind me of growing up, and as we listen together it’s a way to share those memories.”
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the calendars was donated to two Utah nonprofits: Encircle and Lift+Love. Lift+Love provides resources to LGBTQ+ youth and their families in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As active members, faith plays a big part in the couple’s lives. For Ryan, it’s grounding — and helps him remember who he is at his core. It’s important for everyone to be able to live authentically, he said.
“We work so hard to come to terms with who we are and what we believe inside,” Ryan said. “Believe us when we tell you that faith and being gay works.”
Charlie, the admitted die-hard Swiftie, is a published author and works as a clinical therapist. He is just as passionate about bridging the gap between the LGBTQ+ community and religion. He stressed that being gay and being religious is not an oxymoron, and if society treats it as such, we will lose out.
“I really like to push against this ‘all-or-nothing,’ ‘black-or-white’ version of ‘You’re either this way or you’re this way,'” he said. “When creative, beautiful, dynamic people are put in society’s boxes, that’s, that’s a loss.”
Michael Roppolo is a social media associate producer for CBS News. He covers a wide variety of topics, including science, technology, crime, justice and disability rights.
First published on June 25, 2024 / 7:00 AM EDT
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