Lady Gaga is not messing around. Following a wave of transphobic hate directed at influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who shared a series of photos of herself with Gaga for International Women’s Day, the singer stepped in to announce that she would not stand for the “hatred” she was witnessing.
“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 wrote in a lengthy Instagram post on Monday. “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.”
The multihyphenate went on to say that there is “immense work” to be done when it comes to transgender acceptance. “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,” Gaga wrote. Mulvaney commented on the post, writing, “You mean the world to me.”
Gaga wrapped up her post with a reminder that words do, in fact, mean things. “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,” she wrote. “I love people too much to allow hatred to be referred to as ‘backlash.’ People deserve better.” Now that’s Mother Monster behavior.