Lady Gaga took to social media to defend trans activist and TikToker Dylan Mulvaney after Mulvaney posted a photo of the two of them on Instagram. Mulvaney captioned the photos, “Happy international women’s day,” and was immediately met with a barrage of transphobic hate and cruelty.
Gaga responded on her Instagram account, posting a photo with Mulvaney and writing an impassioned letter in her defense. She wrote, “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. 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.”
Gaga continued,
“But it is not surprising given the immense work that it’s obvious we still have to do as a society to make room for transgender lives to be cherished and upheld by all of us. 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. I certainly do not speak for this community, but I have something to say. I hope all women will come together to honor us ALL for International Women’s Day, and may we do that always until THE DAY that all women are celebrated equally. That all people are celebrated equally. A day where people of all gender identities are celebrated on whichever holiday speaks to them. Because people of all gender identities and races deserve peace and dignity.
May we all come together and be loving, accepting, warm, welcoming. 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.”
Mulvaney has endured vicious trolling throughout her online career, which erupted into a full-blown national backlash after she partnered with Bud Light for a March Madness ad on Instagram. The ad became a lightning rod for transphobic Republicans and sales of Budweiser plunged, as conservatives began posting videos of themselves shooting up cans of beer. Because nothing says protest like … buying the product and then dumping it out? Guys, that’s not how boycotts work.
As Budweiser abandoned Mulvaney and backpedaled, the TikTok star endured death threats and was afraid to leave her home. All due to manufactured outrage over a single Instagram endorsement. Gaga is right, people deserve better.
(featured image: Andrew Toth/FilmMagic, Rob Kim/Getty Images)
