Lady Gaga‘s “Born This Way” continues to be relevant, especially with politicians repeatedly threatening the rights of the LGBTQ community in 2023. And at the opening night of her Las Vegas residency Thursday night (Aug. 31), the pop star made sure to remind everyone that she stands with her transgender fans by dedicating her 2011 smash to trans rights.
Looking stunning in Old Hollywood glam, Gaga sat at her piano to play an acoustic, jazzy renditon of “Born This Way” for fans in attendance at the Dolby Live at Park MGM. But before launching into song, she prefaced it by noting, “I’ve got something to say about trans rights in this country.”
“You got something to say, you gotta speak up, right?” she added before launching into her song’s poignant lyrics: “There’s nothing wrong with loving who you are, ’cause He made you perfect babe … I’m beautiful in my way/ God makes no mistakes.”
“And you know, sometimes you hear people say things like, ‘I don’t always know what to say,’” Gaga went on to say while taking a quick pause from the song. “Just listen. Don’t say nothin’. Listen to the stories of real people’s lives.”
Released as the lead single of Gaga’s blockbuster Born This Way album, the title track spent six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The track features lyrics that directly show love to the LGBTQ community, which the 13-time Grammy winner sang extra passionately Thursday night: “No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgender life/ I’m on the right track, baby, I was born to survive.”
The performance marks the first of many in store for Gaga’s Jazz & Piano residency, which will run in Sin City through Oct. 5. The singer-actress packed her set with covers of Great American Songbook standards as well as acoustic renderings of her own hits; sometimes, she’s joined by a big band, while other times she takes the stage alone. It serves as a continuation of the jazz/traditional pop direction she’s taken on in recent years, previously with late friend and collaborator Tony Bennett.
Watch Lady Gaga dedicate “Born This Way” to trans rights below:
