Lady Gaga was one of the first people to stand with Kesha, and she’s taking her support even more public. Last night, Gaga shared a photo of her and Kesha holding hands in solidarity. Today she’s responding to negative comments on Instagram questioning Kesha’s credibility and motives with a personal message about the dangers of shaming those who go public about their abuse. “The very reason women don’t speak up for years is the fear that no one will believe them or their abuser has threatened their life or life of their loved ones/livelihood in order to keep their victim quiet and under control,” she says, noting that she, too, is a survivor of abuse. “No one needs to validate Kesha,” she reminds the masses. Gaga also reposted California lieutenant governor Gavin Newsom’s message of support for Kesha on her own Instagram.
In 2014, Kesha’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, accused Dr. Luke of raping Gaga, after Gaga revealed in an interview that she was sexually assaulted at 19; her reps have maintained that those allegations are false. On Sunday’s Oscars, Gaga will perform her nominated song about campus rape, and will also be joined by Vice-President Joe Biden to raise awareness for sexual violence.
Read Gaga’s full message below:
“The very reason women don’t speak up for years is the fear that no one will believe them or their abuser has threatened their life or life of their loved ones/livelihood in order to keep their victim quiet and under control What happened to Kesha has happened to many female artists, including myself, and it will affect her for the rest of her life. No one needs to validate Kesha. Why is victim always the ‘liar’? Why do we let people in a position of power get away with behaving inhumanely? These guys hide behind the legal system and it’s their litigious behavior that is precisely what they use to rape these girls. ‘Give me what I want or else I will come after you’ and they have all the money and the resources to do it.”
