Lady Gaga spoke up for the trans community during a show in Las Vegas on Thursday (August 31), dedicating ‘Born This Way’ to them.
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The single has long been regarded as an LGBTQ+ anthem, but Gaga doubled down on its message of empowerment at a time where trans rights are under particular threat.
Before performing the song, the artist said, “I’ve got something to say about trans rights in this country. You got something to say, you gotta speak up right?” to cheers from the crowd.
Just before she finished the song, she added: “You know, sometimes you hear people say things like, ‘I don’t always know what to say.’ Just listen. Don’t say nothin’. Listen to the stories of real people’s lives.”
Video footage of the performance appears to capture audience members shouting “I love you”, “thank you” and even “you saved my life”.
The singer recently resumed her ‘Jazz and Piano’ Vegas residency, in which she performs jazz renditions of some of her best-known hits as well as some of the genre’s classics.
Elsewhere during the residency, Gaga paid tribute to the late Tony Bennett as she played her first show since he died in July from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 96.
She dedicated ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ to his widow Susan Benedetto, who was believed to have been in attendance.
“Susan, everybody in this audience loves you so much,” she began.
“The truth is I didn’t know exactly what to say about Tony because this whole show was for Tony, everything. The opening number, the middle number, all the diamonds, all the musical instruments, all the conducting, all the improvisation was in his memory.”
The pair recorded two covers albums together, 2014’s ‘Cheek To Cheek’ and 2021’s ‘Love For Sale’.
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