Lady Gaga said what we’re all thinking

Lady Gaga has choice words for the transphobic trolls on her feed. After a photoshoot of the “Born This Way” singer and Dylan Mulvaney became the latest target for bigots, Lady Gaga called out exactly what was going on. “This is not backlash,” she said. “This is hatred.”

On Friday, Dylan Mulvaney posted a photoshoot with Lady Gaga to Instagram, writing “Happy International women’s day,” in the caption.

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A post shared by Dylan Mulvaney (@dylanmulvaney)

Conservatives have been particularly fixated on Mulvaney ever since Bud Light sent her a personalized can as a part of an influencer promotion. But as a TikToker, Mulvaney’s content is all about joy. She never set out to be a divisive political figure but to celebrate the happiness of her transition—which is ultimately and predictably what conservatives can’t stand.

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Shortly after the post went up, the comments were full of transphobia and misgendering. And Mother Monster was having none of it.

“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 an Instagram post on Monday.

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A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)

First, she described exactly what the hateful comments represent. “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. ‘Backlash’ would imply that people who love or respect Dylan and me didn’t like something we did. This is not backlash. This is hatred.”

At the same time, she found such comments to be “not surprising given the immense work that it’s obvious we still have to do as a society to make room for transgender lives to be cherished and upheld by all of us.”

Lady Gaga, for one, is pledging to make room for those lives. “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.

“I certainly do not speak for this community, but I have something to say. I hope all women will come together to honor us ALL for International Women’s Day, and may we do that always until THE DAY that all women are celebrated equally. That all people are celebrated equally. A day where people of all gender identities are celebrated on whichever holiday speaks to them. Because people of all gender identities and races deserve peace and dignity.”