Gaga’s performance was introduced by Vice President Joe Biden, who encouraged Americans to take action against campus sexual assault and directed viewers to a website, It’sOnUs.org, which promptly crashed under the weight of sudden traffic.
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He then asked people to take a pledge which goes: ‘”I will intervene in situations when consent has not be or can not be given”‘.
The singer, now embroiled in a legal battle against producer Dr. Luke, who she claims has mentally and sexually abused her over the past decade, was moved by Gaga’s raw performance at the Oscars 2016, and wanted to make her feelings known.
As her performance at the Oscars neared its end, a group of men and women joined her on stage with messages like “not your fault” and “survivor” written on their arms.
Host Chris Rock speaks at the Oscars on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
In the event the song, co-written by Gaga and songwriter Diane Warren for the Kirby Dick-directed documentary The Hunting Ground, focussing on campus rape, lost out to Sam Smith’s Spectre theme tune “Writing’s On the Wall”. “I’m very grateful to the Academy for giving us this world stage to reward survivors for being courageous and coming forward”, she said.
The moment left several stars in tears, including Rachel McAdams and Kate Winslet, who joined the rest of the audience in a standing ovation. He’s stood by me all night proud and unashamedly.
“I never thought anyone would ever love me because I felt like my body was ruined by my abuser”, she wrote, sharing a photo of a passionate kiss with fiance Taylor Kinney.
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In an emotional post on Instagram.com, Gaga revealed that both her grandmother and aunt called her after the powerful rendition, praising her for her bravery.
