Lady Gaga Writes Powerful Essay With Unlikely Ally — And Greets Royalty Scantily-Clad
Here are some unlikely bedfellows for you: New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and pop star Lady Gaga. But it’s for a good cause — stopping sexual violence on college campuses.
The powerful duo wrote an op-ed exclusively for Billboard that bolstered the governor’s bill to expand New York’s sexual assault policy not just to state universities, but to private universities as well. They currently “don’t have to live up to the same standard.”
The pop star has a personal investment in the mission. She revealed in 2014 to Howard Stern that she was assaulted at 19 by a male producer 20 years older than her. Sadly, such incidents have become an “epidemic” at college, Lady Gaga and Cuomo write.
“Thousands of these students that dream turns into a nightmare because of the unacceptable epidemic of sexual violence that is currently plaguing colleges and universities. It is a shocking reality that many in academia, government, and society in general still refuse to acknowledge. We all have a responsibility to make sure that the strongest possible laws are in place to safeguard our students.”
The bill Lady Gaga is supporting was introduced in February and augmented by the Enough Is Enough Campaign, E! Online added. It would enforce “comprehensive and uniform procedures and guidelines, including affirmative consent and access to law enforcement.” Right now, sexual assaults are often handled by campus police and treated as disciplinary issues.
According to Lady Gaga’s essay, fewer than five percent of rapes are reported to police, and only 16 percent of victims get any kind of support. Only a quarter of people who have been accused of this crime on a college campus were actually expelled.
“The likelihood that college students are not getting the assistance and support they deserve is heartbreaking, and the knowledge that sexual predators are left free to attack again is criminal … Sexual assaults are not just violations of local campus rules – they are crimes that must be treated as. Victims must know that they have the right to call the police.”
State lawmakers have until June 17 to pass the bill.
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga did something typically Gaga, greeting a likely blushing Prince Harry in a very revealing and gregarious get-up, Time reported.
Prince Harry @itstonybennett @ladygaga @eltonjohndotcom backstage after an incredible night of music @WellChild Gala pic.twitter.com/fb0ia9izJa
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 9, 2015
She had just performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall with Tony Bennett at a benefit concert for WellChild. The charity helps sick children, and Prince Harry is a supporter.
The prince went backstage to meet Lady Gaga, alongside Elton John and Tony, as well. Since she has just hopped off stage, the royal apparently was perfectly fine with the see-through dress she was sporting, Billboard added. Though he likely had other reasons for his evident approval.
The costume was classic Lady Gaga — colorful makeup, a sheer white dress prominently displaying her breasts, which were covered only by pasties and some sparkling decorations. And, to top it off — black panties.
[Photo Courtesy Mike Coppola / Getty Images]
