This week, Lady Gaga has garnered plenty of media and public attention, both nationally and in Philadelphia.
At Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, the pop icon brought four uniformed servicemembers with her to draw attention to the military’s ban on gays: Katie Miller, a West Point cadet who resigned in August due to the law; Maj. Mike Almy, a former Air Force officer who was discharged in 2006 under the ban; David Hall, a former Air Force staff sergeant; and Army Sgt. Stacy Vasquez, also discharged under the ban.
At the event, Gaga mentioned “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” several times, saying, “No one person is more valuable than another person.”
Earlier this week, she tweeted, “Gay Veterans were my VMA dates. Repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. CALL HARRY REID to Schedule Senate Vote.”
On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-N.V.) announced he would bring the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes an amendment to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” to the floor next week.
Then on Tuesday, Reid replied to Gaga on his campaign Twitter account: “@ladygaga There is a vote on #DADT next week. Anyone qualified to serve this country should be allowed to do so.”
Gaga performed in Philadelphia Tuesday and Wednesday, again using the stage to call for a repeal of the ban.
As a high-profile pop star, Gaga has a soapbox from which to reach her fans. For those who see her as a cutting-edge trendsetter — and those who could care less — she still has the ability to reach a large audience in our celebrity-obsessed culture.
She also has the ability to energize a young base, who might not necessarily be politically active or involved.
And this isn’t to say that the bisexual Gaga is just now arriving on the gay-rights scene: She performed at San Francisco’s Pride in 2008 and spoke at the National Equality March in 2009. (She’s only 24; you can’t expect her to have that much history with the gay-rights movement.)
But there is movement on the repeal front: Last week, a federal judge in California ruled the ban was unconstitutional, and this week, a lesbian servicemember is challenging her dismissal.
Though the pop star might not have deep activist cred, pragmatically, the LGBT community should take the help where they can get it.
No, you don’t have to buy her latest release, follow her on Twitter or even like her music. But amid a sea of stars who are just in it for the money and the fame, it’s (almost) refreshing to see a pop star who is using her fame for someone else’s gain.