Pop superstar and LGBTQ ally Lady Gaga made an appearance at New York City’s 50th Stonewall anniversary celebration last Friday, giving the LGBTQ community an emotional speech of her commitment to them.
Before a crowd of thousands, Lady Gaga said: “Honestly, I really, really love you.”
The award-winning singer hit the stage at Pride Live’s Stonewall Day Concert, which was held to mark the Stonewall Riots that birthed the LGBTQ rights movement.
GLAAD had brought in Lady Gaga but managed to keep her appearance a secret from the revelers and even the journalists.
Lady Gaga’s speech at the 50th Stonewall anniversary
At the event, Lady Gaga told the crowd: “This is a historic day. You should be so, so proud of yourselves.”
She said: “It is said that those who threw the first brick on that historic night were members of the trans community.”
“And while we have made tremendous progress, we find ourselves also at a time where attacks on the trans community are on an increasing rise each day. I will not tolerate this,” she added.
She declared, “This community has fought– and continued to fight– a war of acceptance, a war of tolerance and the most relentless bravery. You are the definition of courage, do you know that?”
She likewise affirmed her role as an LGBTQ ally: “I may not, to some people … I may not even be considered a part of this community. Even though, I like girls sometimes.”
“I would never degrade the fight you have all endured, the adversity that you have all been through to truly be seen, to be heard, or the struggles that you’ve been through to love yourselves and to seek that love from other people,” she said.
Honoring the community at the 50th Stonewall anniversary
During her 15-minute speech, Lady Gaga also thanked the older generation of LGBTQ advocates: “You have fought to create a safe, more tolerant space for our youth.”
“It used to be unheard of to even come out of the closet, or be expected in any way to declare who you are. But now, children at very young ages are saying ‘Mommy or Daddy, I’m gay. I’m a lesbian…I’m bi … I’m not a girl, I’m a boy’,” she said.
Further, she cited activists in the LGBTQ community like Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, and Audre Lorde.
As an ally, Lady Gaga promised that she would continue to push for more representation as well as equality, inclusion, and visibility.
She declared: “I denounce ostracizing people for who they are, I wish for there to be mental health provided around the country to teach people the importance of kindness and passion.”
She further said that LGBTQ activists and allies should concentrate on pushing dialogue to “change the system of an extremely oppressive administration.”
Lady Gaga leads stars at the 50th Stonewall anniversary
Lady Gaga wasn’t the only the one who performed at the Stonewall Day Concert as did Alicia Keys.
Also present during the event, which was hosted by iHeartMedia, were Whoopi Goldberg, Andy Cohen, Chelsea Clinton, Valerie Jarrett, and Cyndi Lauper.
Likewise, the First Lady of NYC Chirlane McCray and Donatella Versace, among others were there.
If you want to hear Lady Gaga’s speech, check out the video below:
