This past Sunday, Lady Gaga gave an absolutely amazing halftime performance at the 51st Super Bowl. However, in the days since Super Bowl Sunday, Gaga’s performance has inspired debate as to whether or not it sent a political message.
Gaga was praised by famous republicans and democrats alike. Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for the performance, as did the often controversial conservative commentator Tomi Laren. So, did Gaga really “steer clear of politics”, as Fox News stated? The truth is that, although Gaga did not outwardly condemn the actions of our newest president, the very fact that she was performing at the Super Bowl was itself a statement.
Gaga is an outspoken proponent of LGBTQ+ rights who openly supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Many of her songs also include messages about inclusion and intolerance. Performing “Born This Way” and singing the lyrics, “No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian transgendered life, I’m on the right track baby, I was born to survive,” while the current Vice President and LGBTQ+ rights opponent Mike Pence sat in the audience, was political, whether intentional or not. According to a tweet from USA Today, Gaga’s performance was very likely the first time the word “transgender” had been sung at the Super Bowl. That is amazing.
The Super Bowl is the largest sporting event of the year, and Lady Gaga managed to bring a message of tolerance and inclusion to its audience of more than 100 million people. Now, talk about political.