BY: DM
Published 2 weeks ago
At the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 17, Lady Gaga was honored with the Innovator Award, and she made sure her speech gave the girls, the gays, and the theys everything they needed.
The singer has always been a supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community, as they make up a huge portion of her “Little Monsters.” In 2009, Gaga attended the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., proudly standing with the LGBTQIA+ community. When Gaga dropped “Born This Way” in 2011, she didn’t just give us a bop — she started a movement. It was unapologetically queer, loud, and proud. In 2012, Gaga launched the Born This Way Foundation, focusing on youth empowerment, mental health, and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity.
At the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Gaga doubled down on her love for the community. Here is what the Grammy winner said in her empowering speech about LGBTQIA+ folk.
Lady Gaga thanked the LGBTQIA+ community for their “bravery.”
Lady Gaga dedicated her iHeartRadio Music Innovator Award to the LGBTQIA+ community. Wearing a custom look that screamed edgy pop royalty, Gaga took the stage and served more than a look. In her emotional speech, she showed love to her, and then turned the spotlight on the LGBTQIA+ community.
“To the LGBTQIA+ community, you taught me bravery before the world was ready to listen. You have changed the world for the better, and your courage fuels mine every single day,” Gaga said. “To every artist that’s told they are different, complicated, and too much, please, never change. The world doesn’t need another copy; it desperately needs your original.”
This moment comes on the heels of her new album “Mayhem,” which critics say is a delicious blend of her early bangers and evolved artistry. The project, which dropped Mach 7, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Lady Gaga also pushed back against anti-trans rhetoric.
At the 2025 Grammy Awards, Gaga won her 14th Grammy alongside Bruno Mars for their bop “Die with a Smile.” But it wasn’t just the win that had everyone gagging — it was her heartfelt shout-out to the trans community that truly stole the show.? During her speech, Gaga took a moment to spotlight the trans community amid ongoing anti-trans rhetoric. “Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love,” Gaga exclaimed. “The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love. Thank you.”
Gaga’s remarks come as members of the trans community face growing pressure from the Donald Trump administration. In January, Trump signed the “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” order. This piece of work erased federal recognition of transgender folks, pushing a strict male-female binary and nixing gender-inclusive language from federal docs.
Then came the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” order, banning trans women from competing in women’s sports at all educational levels and threatening schools with funding cuts if they don’t comply.
Meanwhile, folks like Gaga and other activists are continuing to push back. The singer has been a champion for LGBTQIA+ rights since the start of her career—and the community loves her for it.
What is your favorite Lady Gaga moment? Comment below!
