Joe Biden and Lady Gaga have joined forces to fight sexual violence.
On Thursday, April 7, the vice president and the singer met at a rally in Las Vegas at the University of Nevada. The pair spoke to hundreds of students and community members as part of the White House’s “It’s On Us” campaign, which Biden has heavily supported.
Lady Gaga and Joe Biden and Diane Warren! pic.twitter.com/vhDzyFkdBP
— Arthur | Lady Gaga (@Arthur_Gaga) April 9, 2016
Lady Gaga, a sexual abuse survivor, first talked about her haunting past after her Academy Awards performance of “Til It Happens to You. “ For the first time, the singer revealed that she was a victim of sexual violence when she was only 19 years old. Not only was this the first time her fans were learning of the abuse, but it was also the first time her grandmother and aunt heard about what had happened to her. Following her March performance, Lady Gaga shared a photo on Instagram of her family members and explained why she never told them about the abuse.
“My grandmother (in the middle) and my Aunt Sheri (on the right) both called me the day after the Oscars because I never told them I was a survivor. I was too ashamed. Too afraid. And it took me a long time to even admit it to myself because I’m Catholic and I knew it was evil but I thought it was my fault. I thought it was my fault for ten years.
“The morning after the Oscars when I talked to my grandmother Ronnie, with tears in her eyes I could hear them welling through the phone she said to me ‘My darling granddaughter, I’ve never been more proud of you than I am today.’ Something I have kept a secret for so long that I was more ashamed of than anything– became the thing the women in my life were the most proud of. And not just any women, the ones I look up to the most. #BeBrave #speakup#tilithappenstoyou.”
Since then, Biden has been very supportive of Gaga, and commended her for her courage to speak out on an issue that is so personal for her.
“Imagine the courage it takes for her to speak out and then imagine the courage it takes for her to sing a song, ‘Til It Happens to You,’ that is branded in her heart,” Biden said as he introduced Gaga on Thursday. Gaga then proceeded to perform her Oscar-nominated song next to a giant American flag. She then told the crowd that it was a great honor to get to be at the event, and was proud to be supporting the cause.
“What I’ve learned is that the most powerful form of feeling is compassion, so if you can simply be a friend to someone and truly listen, truly lend your ear, even if it’s hard or you don’t understand,” she said. “You will be fulfilling the sense of loneliness that has stayed with me ever since the day I was abused.”
“Til It Happens to You” is featured in the documentary The Hunting Ground , which speaks about sexual assault at college campuses. Joe Biden has been advocating against sexual assaults and domestic violence since he joined office, and even enacted the Violence Against Women Act in 1994. Over the past year, he has spoken at nearly a dozen rallies at college campuses, and recently spoke at an NCAA men’s basketball tournament game. Biden visited the University of Colorado, Boulder, for another rally Friday.
Lady Gaga is co-nominated for Best Original Song with Diane Warren for “Til it Happens to You,” marking her first ever Oscar nomination. According to E! News, Joe Biden will be attending the awards ceremony with his wife Jill Biden, and Gaga is expected to attend with her fiancé, actor Taylor Kinney.
[Photo by Ethan Miller/ Getty Images]