Lady Gaga says people’s pronouns should be ‘respected’ during stirring LGBT+ Pride speech

'Ask the question: ‘What. is. your. pronoun.’ Because for a lot of people, it’s really hard'

(Getty Images)

Lady Gaga has spoken out about the importance of respecting people's chosen gender pronouns while delivering a rousing speech at a show in New York.

On Monday evening, the singer took to the stage at Harlem's Apollo Theatre for her first performance in New York City in almost two years.

During her performance, the A Star Is Born star honoured the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots while also explaining the significance of asking someone what their preferred pronoun is.

Gaga thanked her fans for teaching her "so much over the years", saying that she feels "so blessed" to have learnt from them.

"And I've learned something very important to those people now, and I wish to share this with everyone who's listening, not just in this theatre, but around the world," she said. "Ask the question: 'What. Is. Your. Pronoun.'

"Because for a lot of people, it's really hard, and their pronouns aren't respected or they're not asked, and for me I've grown and changed over the years in a lot of different ways – I've felt misunderstood in different ways."

Gaga continued, explaining that while the hardships people experience may vary, "we're in this together".

True Colors United, a US homelessness charity which focuses on helping LGBT+ youth, explains that some people do not identify with the gender pronouns they were assigned at birth.

"Some people use 'they' as their pronoun, and others use newer words like 'ze' and 'hir'. Many people (young folks, especially) are also creating their own words as they explore their identities," the charity outlines.

"By being mindful of pronouns in our everyday life, each of us has the power to create a culture of inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and adults alike."

During her speech at her New York gig, the "Born This Way" singer also celebrated transgender activist Marsha P Johnson, who played a pivotal role in the Stonewall riots.

"So it's Pride week. I wish it could exist 365 days of the year, but I'll take a f***ing global week. Wow on Friday, the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. Yeah, that was when our community said enough is enough," Gaga said.

"And all hail to so many including Miss Marsha P Johnson. What bravery, what courage."

Following Gaga's performance, one fan tweeted: "Lady Gaga just honoured Marsha P Johnson and asked everyone to respect pronouns during a speech about Pride Month at her Apollo Theatre show because she's simply the greatest."

Join The Independent on Thursday 4 July for a panel discussion and Q&A, where we ask: what is the role of Pride in 2019?

Speakers include Asifa Lahore, Britain’s First Out Muslim Drag Queen and trans activist, and human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell.

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