Sabrina Carpenter turned her performance at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards into a statement on equality and trans rights. The event, held September 7 at UBS Arena in New York, featured Carpenter performing her single “Tears” in a set designed to resemble a rain-soaked New York street.
The performance opened with Carpenter emerging from a manhole, accompanied by drag performers and dancers. Throughout the routine, the stage was filled with signs carrying messages of support, including “Protect Trans Rights,” “Support Local Drag,” “Love Each Other,” and “In Trans We Trust.” The imagery was direct and served as a call to action during a broadcast viewed by millions.
Carpenter won two of the night’s major awards, Album of the Year for Short n’ Sweet and Best Pop Artist. In her acceptance speech, she praised her collaborators and addressed the importance of creating spaces where people feel accepted. “This world can be so full of criticism, discrimination, and negativity. To get to be part of something that can bring you light and make you feel like the world is your oyster, I am so grateful to do that,” Carpenter said.
Her remarks and the performance drew significant attention on social media, with many fans and advocacy groups thanking her for using her platform to highlight trans rights at a time when they face increasing challenges in the United States.
The VMAs are one of the most-watched music broadcasts of the year, and airing on CBS meant Carpenter’s message reached a wider audience than ever before. Advocacy organizations quickly noted how rare it is for an artist at Carpenter’s level to bring trans issues to the forefront in such a visible way.
Carpenter’s actions at the VMAs continue a pattern of public support for LGBTQ+ and trans communities. Earlier this year, she joined more than 100 celebrities, including Pedro Pascal and Daniel Radcliffe, in signing an open letter urging the Biden administration to protect federal funding for LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention programs.
She has also raised money for LGBTQ+ causes through her “Short n’ Sweet Tour.” Partnering with the nonprofit PLUS1, Carpenter established the Sabrina Carpenter Fund, which donates one dollar from every ticket sold to support mental health, animal welfare, and LGBTQ+ initiatives. The partnership set records for the speed with which it raised more than one million dollars.
Carpenter has contributed to the Ali Forney Center, an organization that helps homeless LGBTQ+ youth, through an ice cream collaboration with Van Leeuwen. In addition, she has spoken publicly about her LGBTQ+ fans since early in her career, writing in 2018 that she wanted her concerts to be spaces of love and safety for all.
Her performance at the 2025 VMAs cemented her role as one of the most prominent young artists using mainstream visibility to advocate for trans rights. By blending pop spectacle with clear political messaging, Carpenter turned an awards show stage into a platform for solidarity.
