Lady Gaga has been a strong advocate for victims of sexual assault for several years now, and has been forthright about her own experience as a victim. It’s not surprising, really, considering one out of every six women in America has or will experience sexual violence in her lifetime.
That’s why the recent allegations against GOP Presidential hopeful Donald Trump are so concerning — the president of a nation is supposed to work on solving crises of this nature in a country, not be a perpetrator of the same horrific behavior.
While Trump supporters have attempted to smear the women who have come forward with stories about their experiences with Trump, particularly criticizing the timing or questioning why these women waited to come forward, Lady Gaga briefly chimed in on Twitter yesterday to help the uninformed parse a particularly fraught situation.
Thanku to the panelists @AC360 for explaining why women are coming forward now: because Trumps words @ debate sent abused women into a panic
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) October 14, 2016
She followed that up by directing her followers’ attention to the hashtag #WhyWomenDontReport that collects stories from survivors about the way rape culture continually silenced them, even when they did speak up about their experiences.
Check out&trend #WhyWomenDontReport to have a better understanding. For me, it was like re-living it all over again. I applaud these women.👏
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) October 14, 2016
Gaga notes that talking about her own experience felt like re-living it, and considering an assault is one of the darkest moments in many victims’ lives, this definitely adds another factor into the equation when it comes to what causes women to stay silent. Finally, she offered her support for their bravery. She’s done a lot of incredible things as a musician and an entertainer, but it’s when she speaks out on issues like this that I’m truly proud to be a fan of her.
If you’re uninformed you can educate yourself about our country’s problem with sexual violence at RAINN.org. If you’re a victim of sexual violence, you’re not alone. You can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673 or go to Rainn.org for additional resources.
