White House responds to Taylor Swift after she calls out President Trump at the VMAs

The White House has responded to Taylor Swift after the singer called out the Trump administration during Monday's MTV Video Music Awards.

During one of her appearances onstage, Swift called for passage of the Equality Act, which would provide legal protections for LGBTQ people against discrimination at work, home, school, and other public accommodations. The bill has passed the Democratic-controlled House, but it's unclear if it will be brought up for a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.

"The Trump Administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, the House-passed bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Swift took home a Moon Person for the show's top award, video of the year, for her pro-LBGTQ anthem, "You Need to Calm Down." During her acceptance speech, she reminded viewers "this is a fan-voted award."

"So you voting for this video means that you want a world where we're all treated equally under the law, regardless of who we love, regardless of how we identify," she said, while flanked by a crew of colorfully clad associates.

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Swift's acceptance speech turned political when she referenced her petition in support of the Equality Act, which she called for fans to sign at the end of the music video.

Since its release in June, "(the petition) now has half a million signatures, which is five times the amount needed to warrant a response from the White House," Swift said, pretending to tap a watch on her wrist and shrugging at the camera.

It's worth noting, however, that the Obama administration agreed to officially respond to petitions that reached a signature threshold, not the Trump White House, which has not continued the tradition.

Swift continued: "Regardless of who we are, regardless of how we identify, at the end of this video there was a petition – and there still is a petition for the Equality Act, which basically just says we all deserve equal rights under the law."

Contributing: Patrick Ryan

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump White House responds to Taylor Swift's Equality Act petition