Lady Gaga brought Oscars attendees to their feet when she brought sexual assault survivors onstage during her performance of “Til It Happens to You,” the Best Original Song nominee Gaga co-wrote with Diane Warren.
The song comes from the documentary “The Hunting Ground,” which documents the epidemic of rape on college campuses across America.
Vice President Joe Biden introduced Gaga’s performance, calling on those in attendance and those watching at home to change rape culture in America.
The VP has been a long-time advocate against sexual assault and domestic violence. He is the author of the Violence Against Women Act, and will use his appearance at the Oscars to call on everyone to visit the ItsOnUs website.
Kate Winslet stopped Gaga on her way back to her seat to say something about her performance, according to TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman. “Her performance transfixed the room,” Waxman said. “People were gasping at the power of her emotion.”
“Till It Happens to You” ended up losing in the category to “Writing’s on the Wall” by Sam Smith from the James Bond movie “Spectre.” Viewers at home erupted into a furor when Smith beat Gaga, as she was viewed as a heavy favorite going into the ceremony.
Lady Gaga is a rape victim herself, and has been standing by Kesha in her fight against Dr. Luke, whom she claims drugged and sexually assaulted her.
On Wednesday, the singer once again displayed her admiration for Kesha, this time posting a photo of the two holding hands and leaning on each other. The photo, posted on Gaga’s Twitter account, was simply captioned “Free Kesha.”