Lady Gaga put herself back in the spotlight, singing the National Anthem to her devoted Little Monsters for New York City’s Pride Rally.
The pop star kicked off the festivities, which will culminate with a parade on Sunday, on Friday evening, performing for the first time since her hip surgery in February. Lady Gaga’s performance came after a five-month recess and the cancellation of her world tour.
"It was you that saved me. You saved me, my friends in the LGBT community time and time again," Lady Gaga said of her long relationship with the LGBT community, USA Today reports. "And I saw God for the first real time in all of you. You were sent to me like angels to protect me and to save me. It was you who understood my need to hide behind the wigs, the glasses, the glamour, the clothing."
Lady Gaga gave a brief speech before singing the National Anthem, offering her endorsement of gay rights. The singer, who was a vocal advocate against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, shared her thoughts on this week’s United State’s Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act, which was found to be unconstitutional.
"I would like to thank everyone from the Supreme Court to every legislator and political leader that has ever stood with us," she said, according to The Guardian . "I am so fortunate to have been welcomed by all of you into the LGBT community … The further we are able to reveal and share our lives, the further we move into the hearts and minds of other Americans."
When it came time for Lady Gaga to sing the National Anthem, she made a key change to the famous song’s lyrics, belting, “Oh, say does that star-spangled flag of pride yet wave/ O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
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