During the Oscars on February 28th, Lady Gaga performed her song “Till It Happens to You.” Accompanying her on the stage were dozens of rape and sexual abuse survivors. The survivors had messages such as “It happened to me,” “Survivor,” “Not alone,” and “Stronger” written on their arms. Joe Biden spoke out against sexual abuse as he introduced Lady Gaga before she took the stage. He said “Too many men and women around the country are still victims of sexual abuse. We must and we can change the culture so that no sexual abuse survivor thinks they did anything wrong.”

    Following Gaga’s performance, many people took to social media to express their thoughts. Quinn Murphy, a freshman at Salesianum, said, “It had a really powerful message and provides amazing commentary on the mistreatment of victims of sexual abuse and rape. It was truly beautiful and one of the best performances to grace the Oscar stage.” Quinn believes that Gaga spoke out for these survivors and represented them as being strong.

    Emily Gray, a sophomore at Padua, says, “Lady Gaga’s Oscar performance gave a voice to so many victims whose stories are ignored by a society that taboos sexual assault and rape. It covered so much strength and I think it’s going to provide a lot of comfort to victims of assault for many years to come.” Emily believes that Gaga’s performance showed victims worldwide that they do have a voice and are stronger than their attackers

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    Lady Gaga’s performance not only spoke out against sexual abuse and rape, but also showed the world that survivors are more than just victims. This performance portrayed survivors as strong and independent. By speaking out against sexual abuse and rape, Lady Gaga gave survivors everywhere a voice against their attackers.