Lady Gaga
and former Vice President Joe Biden are teaming up with
the nonprofit It's On Us to advocate for accountability and support for
sexual assault survivors.
In a video message Gaga
acknowledged that she is a sexual assault survivor and she understands
the trauma that lingers in the aftermath. Meanwhile, Biden called the
pop star a “great friend” and “a voice for people who have been
forgotten, the people who have been abused.”
“She’s
shown enormous courage,” Biden said. “And we want to make it
real clear. It’s on us, it’s on everyone to intervene, to stop abuse
when they see about & when they hear about it, to intervene. No man
has a right to raise a hand to a woman for any reason other than
self-defense. Ever. Period.”
Lady Gaga urged folks not to forget about male survivors.
“It
can be terrifying waking up everyday feeling unsafe in your own body,”
Gaga said. “But we’re here to remind you that it’s important to reach
out to someone in your life that can trust and to know that they will be
there to help you. There will be someone to listen, because you know
what, it’s on us.”
Both
are outspoken advocates for sexual abuse survivors. Lady Gaga memorably
brought dozens of survivors on stage with her during her performance of
“Til It Happens to You” at the Oscars -- part of The Hunting Ground, a documentary focusing on sexual assaults across college campuses.
