Lady Gaga has long been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, known for her unwavering support and unapologetic self-expression. But one of the most significant moments in her career came when she chose not to address persistent rumors about her gender, refusing to debunk them for a reason that makes her stand out as a beacon of inclusivity and resilience.

Since the early stages of her career, Lady Gaga has faced rumors regarding her gender identity, with speculation circulating that she was transgender or intersex. These rumors reached a peak in 2009 after her performance at the Glastonbury Festival, where footage sparked conversations about a supposed bulge under her skirt.

Instead of directly addressing the speculation, Gaga let it run its course, believing that responding would send the wrong message to the LGBTQ+ community, especially to young individuals grappling with their identities.

In an interview with Bill Gates for the Netflix series What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates, Lady Gaga explained her thought process: (via Them.us)

Rather than viewing herself as a victim of false rumors, Gaga embraced the situation as an opportunity to challenge societal norms and create awareness. “I tried to use the misinformation to create another disruptive point,” she explained, using the rumors as a tool to provoke thought and discussion rather than just squashing them.

Gaga understood that by ignoring the gossip, she sent a powerful message — there is no shame in being transgender or having a fluid gender identity.

And if there is no shame, or anything negative about being transgender, why even bother to refute those claims? Gaga was clearly aware that refuting these rumors would mean there was something negative about being a transgender. And well, there isn’t!

Lady Gaga’s response to transgender rumors is a case in point!

In 2011, Gaga famously dodged a question about her gender in an interview with Anderson Cooper, who asked if she had a “male appendage.” (via Them.us)  Rather than denying or confirming the rumor, she playfully responded, “Maybe I do. Would it be so terrible?” Gaga’s wit and refusal to engage with the question showed her confidence in who she was and emphasized the irrelevance of the speculation surrounding her body.

Her stance is not only a defense against the invasive scrutiny of her body but also a challenge to the wider issue of “transvestigation” — a term that refers to the harmful practice of scrutinizing individuals’ appearances to determine their gender.

Although the term became more widespread in the late 2010s, Gaga was one of the first high-profile figures to be targeted, and her handling of the situation has paved the way for others facing similar challenges