Lady Gaga Wears Trans Flag Sash At Mayhem Ball And Fans Feel The Love
With a glittering pink, blue, and white sash, Gaga turned a fashion moment into something much more.
Lady Gaga has never been shy about her values, and she wasn’t about to start now.
During a recent stop at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on July 28, the pop superstar hit the stage wearing a sash in the unmistakable pastel pink, blue, and white of the transgender Pride Flag. The moment came during her performance of “Abracadabra” and “Judas,” a fiery portion of the show where she typically appears in a dramatic red gown. This time, the look was accented with the sparkling sash, an unmistakable gesture of support for a community constantly under fire.
Fan photos and videos of the moment quickly spread across social media. “TRANS GAGA SHOW!?” wrote RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Gottmik on X, sharing images of the performance, one of which included a fan-edited version of Gaga in a flowing trans flag cape.
Related: Lady Gaga’s Acoustic Version Of “Abracadabra” Is Pure Magic
Gaga’s long-standing support of trans people is not new. As far back as 2009, she refused to dignify salacious tabloid rumors about her body with a response, telling Anderson Cooper, “Why the hell am I gonna waste my time and give a press release on whether or not I have a penis? My fans don’t care and neither do I. Maybe I do, would it be so terrible?”
Two years later, her single “Born This Way” became the first number one song in Billboard history to include the word “transgender,” a milestone she’s only continued to build on in the years since.
Earlier this year at the Grammys, she used her acceptance speech to make a pointed declaration: “Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love. Thank you.”
Related: U.S Olympic and Paralympic Committee Bans Transgender Athletes
That message has become a recurring theme of this era of Gaga’s career, particularly as she tours in support of her seventh album, Mayhem. Speaking to Zane Lowe in March, she addressed the uptick in violence and legislative attacks on the trans community: “What I would say first and foremost is what trans people are being faced with in this world is completely unfair, wrong, and there’s this violence that’s taking place on a daily basis in their lives.”
“I think we all need to support trans people and each other to know that they deserve to be supported and loved and protected and lifted up.”
Even when asked about the early-career rumors in a more recent appearance on an episode of Netflix’s What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates, Gaga reframed the narrative to center others. “I thought about, like, what about a kid who is being accused of that who would think that a public figure like me would feel shame?” she said. “In that case, I tried to be thought-provoking and disruptive in another way.”
While the Mayhem Ball is packed with theatrical flourishes and over-the-top visuals (including a digital screen where fans can send Gaga real-time messages), it’s moments like this one that cut through the spectacle.
The tour continues across North America until September 18, before heading to Europe, Australia, and Japan through the end of the year.
