Lady Gaga will not stand for hatred directed towards the trans community.
The singer has written a long message to people who wrote horrible comments on a sweet photo of her and TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, originally posted on the latter's Instagram to mark International Women's Day.
Reposting the photo on her own Instagram, Gaga made it clear that she would continue to call out transphobia as long as she continues to witness it, and fans were grateful for her powerful message of support.
"It’s appalling to me that a post about National Women’s Day by Dylan Mulvaney and me would be met with such vitriol and hatred," Lady Gaga began.
"When I see a newspaper reporting on hatred but calling it 'backlash' I feel it is important to clarify that hatred is hatred, and this kind of hatred is violence. 'Backlash' would imply that people who love or respect Dylan and me didn’t like something we did. This is not backlash. This is hatred."
The Star Is Born actress went on to express her lack of surprise that transphobia is still so prevalent.
"I feel very protective in this moment, not only of Dylan, but of the trans community who continues to lead the way with their endless grace and inspiration in the face of constant degradation, intolerance, and physical, verbal, and mental violence," she said.
Gaga added that she hoped to see the day when all women were celebrated equally on International Women's Day and beyond.
"May we all come together and be loving, accepting, warm, welcoming," she concluded. "May we all stand and honor the complexity and challenge of trans life—that we do not know, but can seek to understand and have compassion for. I love people too much to allow hatred to be referred to as 'backlash.' People deserve better."
Lady Gaga has long been an outspoken voice for LGBTQ+ rights.
For example, in 2023, she dedicated her song "Born This Way" to the trans community during a Las Vegas performance, and in 2019, she gave a rousing speech at Pride Live’s Stonewall Day Concert in New York City.
She told the assembled crowd at the time, "Happy 50th anniversary of Stonewall. This is a historic day. You should be so, so proud of yourself"—and credited LGBTQ+ legends like Marsha P. Johnson and Audre Lorde for advancing the rights movement.
