x17online.comLady Gaga has joined forces with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to raise awareness about the politician's proposed sexual assault bill that helps protect college students from sexual violence on campus.
Cuomo first introduced the legislation back in February, which, according to the governor's website, "extends prevention and response measures already adopted by SUNY to ensure that each of the state's 1.2 million college students are protected with comprehensive and uniform procedures and guidelines, including affirmative consent and access to law enforcement" (essentially, the bill broadens the state's sexual assault prevention policy to include all college campuses, both public and private, in New York).
Ahead of the end of this year's legislative session on June 17, the 29-year-old Mother Monster, who previously revealed during a December 2014 interview with Howard Stern that she was raped as a teenager, has lent her support to the bill and, along with Governor Cuomo, has penned an op-ed for Billboard highlighting the importance of its passing.
"We all have a responsibility to make sure that the strongest possible laws are in place to safeguard our students. Thankfully, New York has an opportunity to stand up for its students and take the critical steps toward facing this crisis head on. The bill currently before the New York State legislature will address the issue of sexual violence on college campuses, giving the state the nation's strongest laws to target campus sexual assault. This is a campaign that will protect students, and it's exactly what we need," Gaga and Cuomo wrote in the essay.
"Today, too many college students experience sexual assault, too few of the assailants are prosecuted, and too often the survivors lack the resources they need to recover," the two continued. "In New York, fewer than five percent of rapes that occur on college campuses are reported to law enforcement and just 16 percent of survivors receive support from a victim services agency."
"This situation is unacceptable," Cuomo and Gaga later wrote. "The likelihood that college students are not getting the assistance and support they deserve is heartbreaking, and the knowledge that sexual predators are left free to attack again is criminal. This bill will tackle this crisis head-on, because the status quo needs to change."
The pair concluded by making a plea to New York lawmakers in addition to citing the Enough Is Enough campaign, which was launched in support of the bill.
"By passing legislation such as the bill currently before the New York State legislature, we can turn the tide on this issue so that students can realize their dreams on campuses that are safe spaces. That's why we are joining together to take a stand against sexual assault on college campuses. Quite simply, enough is enough."
Governor Cuomo will also be hosting a screening of the documentary The Hunting Ground—which examines the sexual assault epidemic on college campuses—in Albany today. Gaga penned a tune for the film, titled "Till it Happens to You."