Lady Gaga addressed the infamous rumor that she was born a “man” again. Appearing in Bill Gates’ new Netflix series, What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates, on Wednesday (September 18), the songstress felt that correcting controversial speculation about her sex was to a certain extent, problematic.
“The reason I didn’t answer the question was because I didn’t feel like a victim with that lie,” Lady Gaga told the billionaire.
She continued: “But I thought about, what about a kid that’s being accused of that, that would think that a public figure like me would feel shame.”
The Bad Romance hitmaker explained that the rumor began in the 2010s after an altered image of herself went viral online.
Lady Gaga once again addressed the infamous rumor that she was born a “man”
Lady Gaga said: “There was this imagery on the internet that had been doctored and they were like, ‘You know there’s this rumour that you’re a man. What do you have to say about that?’”
The Oscar-winner added: “I’ve been in situations where fixing a rumour was not in the best interest of — I thought of the wellbeing of other people.”
Lady Gaga appears in Bill Gates’ new Netflix series, What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates, September 18
“So in that case, I tried to be thought-provoking and disruptive in another way. I tried to use the misinformation to create another disruptive point.”
The 38-year-old singer’s response ignited praise from her Little Monsters, as a Threads user commented: “Damn, I so respect this musician and woman!”
Lady Gaga felt that correcting controversial speculation about her sex was problematic
At the MTV Video Music Awards 2011, Lady Gaga performed as her male alter ego, Jo Calderone
Image credits: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
A person wrote: “She was thinking beyond herself. I love that. Because being trans isn’t a threat, it is nothing shameful.”
A separate individual chimed in: “I was that kid who heard her response! Thank you Gaga xx.”
“I didn’t feel like a victim with that lie,” Lady Gaga said
Bill Gates’ exchange follows a 2011 interview with Anderson Cooper. At the time, Lady Gaga shut down speculations about her anatomy.
Responding to Anderson’s question about whether Lady Gaga was born male or not, the popstar said: “Why the hell am I going to waste my time and give a press release about whether or not I have a penis?”
“My fans don’t care and neither do I.”
Earlier in the same interview, the award-winning actress joked about having a ‘male appendage’, saying, “Maybe I do. Would it be so terrible?”
Lady Gaga explained that the rumor began in the 2010s
@gagadailyMother♬ original sound – Lady Gaga Daily
“People assume […] that my performance is what’s not real. But to me, that’s the most real thing that you’ll see about me.”
Lady Gaga talks about how she’s handled misinformation in her career in What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates. Now playing. pic.twitter.com/legQm24FEA
— Netflix (@netflix) September 18, 2024
Video credits: Netflix
Lady Gaga’s choice not to respond to rumors about her body in the 2010s was recognizably beneficial to the trans community because it refused to treat the idea of being trans as an accusation or insult.
By not denying or validating the rumors, many people argued that Lady Gaga helped challenge the notion that questioning someone’s gender is something shameful.
Moreover, a handful of critics explained that this approach reinforced the message that being trans is a valid identity and shouldn’t be treated as something scandalous or derogatory.
“That’s why I love Lady Gaga,” a reader commented
