Lady Gaga launched a righteous rant against the nasty responses to her International Women's Day post with transgender actor/influencer Dylan Mulvaney. “I feel very protective right now, not only for Dylan, but for the trans community who continue to lead the way with their endless grace and inspiration in the face of constant degradation, intolerance and physical, verbal and mental violence.” Gaga said Instagram. “I certainly don't speak for this community, but I have something to say.”
On Sunday, Mulvaney shared a photo of herself and Gaga with the simple caption, “Happy International Women's Day.” This sparked a barrage of transphobic comments from the usual suspects, both in the comments of Mulvaney's posts and from some far-right or conservative types.
In her post, Gaga delivered a solid lesson in media literacy as she pushed back at how some outlets have characterized the anti-trans uproar as a “backlash.”
“When I see a newspaper reporting on hate but calling it a 'backlash' I feel it's important to clarify that hate is hate and that kind of hate is violence. “Backlash” would mean that people who love or respect Dylan and I didn't like something we did. This is not a reaction. This is hate.”
Gaga went on to admit that such a response “wasn't surprising given the enormous amount of work we obviously still have to do as a society to make space for trans lives to be loved and supported by all of us.” She went on to say that she hopes “all women come together to honor ALL of us on International Women's Day” and that all people are “celebrated equally”.
He concluded: “Because people of all genders and races deserve peace and dignity. May we all be together and be loving, accepting, warm, welcoming. May we all stand and honor the complexity and challenge of trans life — that we don't know, but can seek to understand and show compassion for. I love people too much to allow hate to be listed as a “reaction”. People deserve better.”
Mulvaney, unfortunately, has been the target of this kind of vitriol in the past. Even before her Bud Light sponsorship sparked an anti-trans uproar last year, conservatives like Sen. Marsha Blackburn and transgender Olympian Caitlyn Jenner had criticized her “Days of Girlhood” series, which chronicled her transition. It was also a frequent topic of discussion among right-wing figures such as Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh.
In an interview with Rolling rock, Mulvaney said he comes to see those remarks not as “constructive criticism” but “pure hate. She added: 'Now I've made some peace with the fact that people have a problem with my edginess or my joy. “And that's on them. This is not about me, and I have to think about the people I look up to who celebrate this version of me. These are the people I need to listen to.”
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lady-gaga-defend-dylan-mulvaney-international-womens-day-post-1234985319/