Lady Gaga Says Love For “Gay Fans Is Just Pure”

Lady Gaga graces the cover of The Advocate – in a photograph she herself took – and inside Gaga insists that the relationship between her and the gay community is real and not a an affectation. “My love for my gay fans is just pure, authentic love for them as supporters of me from the beginning, and me feeling connected to their struggles as someone who is a part of their fight,” she says. The mutual love affair between Gaga and her intensely devoted — and largely gay — disciples has come into the conversation a second time within a few minutes. She has declared numerous times that, like many of her “little monsters,” she was bullied. In one instance, as a young girl in Manhattan, she was literally tossed into a trash can by classmates. It’s not just sympathy she feels, though. Her connection to her fans goes deeper, to the point of identification. She says she is one of them. Though she’s recently ended an on-off relationship with musician Luc Carl, Gaga has discussed her attraction to other women in the past. Asked whether she also considers herself an actual member of the LGBT community — “yes” is her response after a brief pause. Is this declared affinity for LGBTs, the championing of equality, merely a marketing device meant to promote a new release? It would be easy to be sceptical of her enthusiasm, of her rainbow flag–waving. She’s been accused of not being gay enough to claim a letter in the acronym, and it has been said that her activism for marriage equality, against the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, and for AIDS awareness (she once appeared on Good Morning America dressed as a condom) is as superficial as her outré fashion. “To say that I would use the gay community to sell records is probably one of the most ridiculous statements anyone can make about me as a person,” Gaga say, the tone of her voice changing, deepening with frustration. “I would say the top thing I think about every single day of my life, other than my fans, loving the music, and my family being healthy, is social justice and equality.”