If you're on the side of Lady Gaga's left-wing politics (or, possibly a log cabin Republican), then she's an unstoppable liberal using her power to advance a political agenda you probably believe in. If you're not on Lady Gaga's side politically, well, sorry.
Lady Gaga's 2010 MTV VMA red carpet arrival was a stunning moment--and not just a fashion moment--though Gaga's Alexander McQueen Victorian ball gown was by far the biggest and best arrival of VMA night. Lady Gaga's VMA arrival was a political statement, arriving with members of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization of gay men and women who served in the Air Force or Army who left on their own or were discharged.
And Gaga's anti-"don't ask, don't tell" statement was timed perfectly, falling days after "don't ask, don't tell" was declared unconstitutional by a California federal court, and two days before the 2010 primaries. Two days after the primaries, on Thursday, Sept. 16, Gaga released a YouTube video encouraging her fans (and anyone against this human rights violation) to contact their state senate to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" next week. Gaga's video was also a message to Senator John McCain and other state senators who've opposed gays in the military.
Standing at the start of the VMA red carpet where all of the night's stars arrived, I managed to capture the Flipcam video below of Lady Gaga's arrival. While I assumed her arrival with soldiers was clearly politically symbolic (a message to end the war?), I was too far away from her MTV News interview to hear her powerful words and only found out later that her soldiers were men and women willing to put their life on the line and die for our own safety.
It was an honor to witness firsthand not only a major VMA moment, or the rush of paparazzi and Gaga energy electrifying a crowd the second she hits the public eye--Gaga's over-the-top gown was exciting, too--but also one of the biggest stars on the planet making such a powerful, poignant political statement right in front of me during one of the biggest pop culture events in the country.