Lady Gaga was honored by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network at a special event in Washington DC on Saturday night.
The singer was awarded with the Randy Shilts Visibility Award at the event. Named for award-winning author Randy Shilts, the award recognizes accomplishments in bringing the plight of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) service personnel to the public’s attention. SLDN clients, including former Air Force Major Mike Almy, former Air Force Staff Sergeant David Hall, and former Army Sergeant First Class Stacy Vasquez – who escorted Lady GaGa at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in September – accepted the award on her behalf as she delivered remarks via pre-recorded video.
Partnering with SLDN, Lady Gaga dramatically raised the profile of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) when she urged the Senate to repeal this law throughout 2010, culminating with her appearance on the VMAs, and going to Maine on September 20 to call for DADT repeal.
“Lady Gaga’s outspoken commitment to end ’Don’t Ask’ discrimination helped to renew the call for repeal on the national stage and emboldened millions of young people to get engaged, take action, and play a decisive role in repealing this bad law,” said Zoe Dunning, retired Navy Commander and SLDN Board Co-chair. “We are profoundly grateful to Lady Gaga for her passion and tireless involvement.”
