There's A Reason I Wasn't Feeling Gaga's Show Last Night

Watched the Super Bowl like 100 million plus other peeps last night, and know the chatter in Gay World was all about the halftime show and Lady Gaga.

Some of you marveled about how she mentioned the word transgender while singing 'Born This Way' and gushed about other points in the show that were frankly meh for me.

By the way, for those of you claiming this Gaga show was political, this Beyonce performance last year is the gold standard for a Super Bowl halftime show that is political.   When wingers are STILL complaining a year later, and people are still talking about it, you know the message was received..

The reaction from the conservafool media to Gaga's Super Bowl show was they were glad she didn't go political. That confirms my initial impression of it that is wasn't as political as some people in Gay World are desperately trying to make this out to be.

Because her mentioning the t-word in NRG Stadium during her show and people commenting about it in social media just reminded me of why I'm not a huge fan of hers.  

If you're wondering why, we need to go back to 2011 and the fight to pass marriage equality in New York.

While the New York state marriage equality push that year had the HRC, former president Bill Clinton, Gov Andrew Cuomo, then New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a host of politicians and celebs going gaga (pun intended) in pushing for its passage after passing the New York Assembly for the fourth consecutive time, ,GENDA, the trans rights bill had for then three consecutive years overwhelmingly passed the New York Assembly but was in an infuriating pattern of getting stuck in the Republican controlled NY senate.

GENDA if passed would amend the New York state non-discrimination laws to add gender identity and expression to the list of characteristics protected from discrimination in employment, education, public accommodations, housing and credit. It would also add gender identity and expression to the state hate crimes law. 

Currently there are seven cities in the Empire State, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Ithaca, New York City, Rochester and Syracuse, and three counties, Suffolk, Tompkins and Westchester  that have legislatively enacted trans non discrimination protections. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has signed an executive order that prohibits discrimination against trans people in the Empire State.

But as we are witnessing in Washington DC right now, executive orders can be overturned, which is why passage of GENDA to secure the human rights of transpeople in New York State is needed and necessary.   It is also necessary in light of the fact that when SONDA was passed in 2002, New York gay and lesbian activists violated a deathbed promise to Sylvia Rivera and threw New York transpeople under the legislative bus to selfishly enact human rights protections for themselves.

In June 2011 GENDA overwhelmingly passed in the New York state assembly for the third consecutive time and was awaiting action in NY Senate just like the marriage bill was after it passed for the fourth consecutive session.  

But unlike the marriage bill, GENDA wasn't getting the attention it deserved and eventually died in the New York Senate without a hearing or a vote as gay peeps celebrated, claimed it was a 'victory for equality'  and planned their weddings when the marriage bill passed after that all out push for passage .

I note that Lady Gaga at that time was urging her 'Little Monsters' to call the NY Senate and urge passage of the marriage bill, but the word 'transgender'' didn't pass her lips at the time to have the same happen for GENDA.   Never mind the fact that some of her 'Little Monsters' as her fans are called are transgender peeps

I still believe that had she in 2011 made that same exhortation for her fans to call NY senators and demand GENDA's passage, that may have possibly been the publicity nudge GENDA needed at that time to get it attention during that 'all marriage all the time' media frenzy to get it passed in the New York Senate and to Gov. Cuomo's desk for his signature.

Lady Gaga has been a champion for marriage equality, and I'd like to see her put the same level of effort into speaking out on behalf of trans human rights as she consistently did for marriage equality. My trans siblings could use her help and star power, especially in her home state of New York  to break that legislative logjam that GENDA seems to be in.

Her trans Little Monsters that idolize her would love to see that as well. especially the ones that call New York State home..

So Lady Gaga, ball is in your court.   Saying the trans word during your Super Bowl show isn't enough these days.  How about some action to back it up just like you did for marriage equality?