Alexandra Buchler
Staff Writer
On Feb. 5 the Super Bowl LI aired at 6:30 p.m. with the New England Patriots facing the Atlanta Falcons. Every year, people gather around their televisions with friends and family to not only enjoy the game, but to laugh at the commercials and watch the halftime show. This year the halftime show featured the singer/song-writer Lady Gaga. Gaga shocked us all, starting her performance by leaping off the roof of the stadium, falling to the stage. She appeared in a diamond bodysuit, and jewels across her face. However, some people were so blinded by her glittering ensemble that they missed the message she was trying to convey.
Many people watching did not realize that the song, “Born This Way” is designed for the LGBTQ community. If you have been to a march in the past four years, the “Born This Way” song is infamous for people dancing to the lyrics, surrounded by a ton of glitter, bare skin, and glorious, rainbow solidarity. Gaga faces much backlash for this especially risky performance. To make matters worse, Mike Pence, one of the most anti-LGBTQ politicians today sat in the audience, especially when it contains lyrics like "No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgender life." According to USA Today, that was "likely" be the first time the word "transgender" was said onstage at a Super Bowl.
This year, Gaga allowed her music to express a political issue in America, and let her act become activism. She played it out with confidence and did not let people with opposing views bring her down. Gaga left it up to her audience to read between the lines.
