Gaga defends same-sex marriage, abortion rights at concert

ABOVE: Lady Gaga on the “Chromatica Ball” tour. Photo via Gaga’s Facebook page.

Lady Gaga spoke up for same-sex marriage and abortion rights at her Washington, D.C. stop of her nationwide the “Chromatica Ball” tour.

Early in the show at Nationals Park, the Oscar-winning performer dedicated her song “Born This Way,” which she called an equality anthem, to her fellow members of the LGBTQ community.

“This might not be the national anthem, but it’s our national anthem!” Gaga yelled, calling out Republican lawmakers. “They better not try to mess with gay marriage in this country!”

Lady Gaga’s second album “Born This Way” was released in 2011 and marked her significant transition into a burgeoning pop culture icon.

“’Born This Way,’ my song and album, were inspired by Carl Bean, a gay, Black religious activist who preached, sung and wrote about being ‘Born This Way.’ Notably, his early work was in 1975, 11 years before I was born,” Gaga explained the background story behind the album. “Thank you for decades of relentless love, bravery, and a reason to sing. So we can all feel joy, because we deserve joy. Because we deserve the right to inspire tolerance, acceptance, and freedom for all.”

Gaga also addressed abortion rights later in her concert. Before performing “Edge Of Glory,” she delivered a powerful speech.

“I would like to dedicate this song to every woman in America,” she said. “To every woman who now has to worry about her body if she gets pregnant. I pray that this country will speak up, that we will stick together, and that we will not stop until it’s right! For every woman.”

“I don’t mean to be a downer, but there’s some shit that’s more important than show business,” Gaga  added before continuing the stripped-down version of the song.

Gaga’s next stop will be at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Then she will then head to Chicago and Boston to continue her tour.

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