Women’s History Month has been one for the books so far. However, just as some women have been praised, others have been the subject of vicious attacks online. Sadly, TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney falls in the latter category. To commemorate International Women’s Day (on March 8), the former Budweiser campaign star uploaded an image of herself and Lady Gaga.
While Mulvaney’s followers basked in the moment, others accused her of rage-baiting. As a transgender woman, users argued that Mulvaney had no right to celebrate the day. The comment section exploded with vile remarks, eventually leading Mulvaney to no longer allow users on the platform to post. After getting wind of the attacks, on May 11, Lady Gaga took to her Instagram page to slam the anti-trans remarks and come to the defense of her friend.
“It’s appalling to me that a post about National Women’s Day by Dylan Mulvaney and me would be met with such vitriol and hatred,” she wrote. “When I see a newspaper reporting on hatred but calling it ‘backlash,’ I feel it is important to clarify that hatred is hatred, and this kind of hatred is violence. ‘Backlash’ would imply that people who love or respect Dylan and me didn’t like something we did. This is not backlash. This is hatred.”
The “Born This Way” singer went to display her advocacy for transgender rights. “But it is not surprising given the immense work that it’s obvious we still have to do as a society to make room for transgender lives to be cherished and upheld by all of us,” she wrote. “I feel very protective in this moment, not only of Dylan, but of the trans community who continues to lead the way with their endless grace and inspiration in the face of constant degradation, intolerance, and physical, verbal, and mental violence.”
Online can be the Wild West for users navigating bullying, but Lady Gaga isn’t here for any of the madness.