I love Lady Gaga and Kathy Griffin. No, not just because they're talented and hilarious, but because they're speaking out for LGBT rights. And they're doing it better than a lot of those highly paid political pundits. They bypass the boring mumbo jumbo and just use common sense: Discriminating against people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is wrong and unconstitutional. End of story. They explain things in ways that their fans and everyday people can relate to. So why are they getting so much heat for it?
You'll figure out through this blog that I'm a YouTube addict and I love watching speeches online about queer issues. I was watching the one Lady Gaga gave in Maine right before the infamous Senate vote on Don't Ask Don't Tell (booooooo!). Per usual, there were a few commenters who disagreed. I expected the usual homophobic comments like, "the american constitution allows us to hate whoever we want." But whenever a celebrity figure chooses to speak out, there's also comments like, "Can someone can tell her to STFU, please?? OMG, she better keep doing music and keep her mouth close, for who does she take herself??" (for my less Internet savvy friends, STFU = shut the f$*# up).
Since these celebrities are standing up for my rights, it's only fair that I return the favor and stand up for theirs. To the YouTube commenters...here goes:
You want to know "for who does she take herself"? Well, let's try an American citizen who is protected by the same Constitution that your friend hides behind to justify his hate. It's called the First Amendment, which gives her as much right as anyone in this country to speak about what's on her mind. So what if she's a celebrity? At least she's using her notoriety to strengthen the call for social justice. Heaven forbid that they show us more than how to be spoiled and get a DUI. And Lady Gaga is not alone. People all around the world, celebrities and otherwise, are uniting their voices to show that they GIVE A DAMN!
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