Lady Gaga has taken a stand for gay rights, posting a video on YouTube pleading with the US Government to repeal the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy which bans gays and lesbians from serving in the US military.
America has been troubled by a spate of recent suicides linked to homophobic bullying, and the singer called on politicians to set a better example and challenge homophobia by repealing the controversial law.
“Kids are being led to believe that it’s ok to hate and condemn based on difference,” she says in the video, “and this recent horrific news of gay suicides is really proof of our social repression and ultimately government repression that is killing our youth. We have to end this law because it reinforces discrimination and it’s setting a bad example.”
Barack Obama had pledged to overturn the policy during his presidential election campaign but moves to change the law were blocked in September by Republican senators.
Lady Gaga has spoken at rallies across the States in support of the repeal and even performed at MTV’s Video Music Awards with a cohort of gay soldiers who had been discharged under ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’
The Huffington Post has reported that a US Pentagon study found that 70% of military personnel believe that changing the law would have a positive, mixed or no effect at all.
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