Lady Gaga Responds To Religious Protests With Emotional Speech During Manila Concert (Video)

Lady Gaga has had a rough couple of weeks. What should have been a celebratory kick-off to her "Born This Way Ball" has been marred in controversy, as the pop superstar has encountered protests from religious groups at nearly every turn.

The tour's first show in Seoul, South Korea, was marred by protests from Christian groups saying Mother Monster was "obscene" and could "taint" young people with her performance. The protestors even managed to get the Korea Media Rating Board to elevate the age rating for the concert from 12 to 18, prohibiting minors from seeing the show.

She encountered similar troubles in the Philippines, where her May 21 and 22 concerts in Manila were met with similar derision from Christian groups claiming her lyrics are blasphemous and that the sentiment behind songs like "Born this Way" promotes "promiscuity" and homosexuality. A few days before the first concert, anti-riot police were forced to stop hundreds of protestors from descending on the venue. Gaga responded to the hubbub today on Twitter, saying, "And don't worry, if I get thrown in jail in Manila, Beyonce will just bail me out. Sold out night 2 in the Philippines. I love it here!"

Then there is her planned June 3 show in Indonesia, which is entirely different animal in that the show is courting not only protests and governmental interference, but Gaga is being threatened with violence by radical Islamic groups in the country. "The Jakarta situation is 2-fold: Indonesian authorities demand I censor the show & religious extremist separately, are threatening violence," Gaga tweeted earlier today.

She's responded briefly on the controversies on Twitter, but now the pop star finally addressed the controversy at length. During her concert today in Manila, Gaga spoke to the audience about the protests, saying, "I just feel like, you know, so many people have been protesting and it really doesn't bother me truly because I know that there has to be change, but for all those kids all over the world that take their lives when they're so young because they feel bullied or they're afraid because they're gay and they don't want to tell anybody, don't you think that some of us should stand up and say the god**n truth?"

source: newsroom.mtv.com

Lady Gaga fans have 'basic freedom of expression' to watch

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino fans of controversial pop star Lady Gaga may not be stopped from watching her concert as part of their "basic freedom of expression."

The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued the statement when asked about moves by religious organizations to boycott her two-night concert on May 21 and 22.

“I don’t think censorship is really the way to decide whether or not you want to listen to Lady Gaga and her music, people of the Philippines have a right to decide whether to attend the concert or not, I mean this is a basic freedom of expression,” Elaine Pearson, HRW deputy Asia director, said Monday.

Pearson lauded the Philippine government “for standing up to the religious groups who have been calling for a ban.”

In Jakarta, a concert slated on June 3 remains in limbo after Indonesian police refused to grant organizers a permit because of opposition from hard-line Islamic groups.

Pearson said that while she is not a Lady Gaga fan, she believes that the 26-year-old pop star should not be barred from performing.

Over the weekend, Christian youth marched in Manila asking to stop the concert and urging Lady Gaga to respect the people’s faith. Members of the Biblemode Youth Philippines also plan to stage rallies on the concert days. Other groups opposing the performance are organizations under the United Christian Groups.

The groups’ protest stemmed from Lady Gaga’s song “Judas,” a track from her 2011 album “Born This Way.”

Much of their displeasure was focused on Lady Gaga’s song “Judas,” a track from her 2011 album “Born This Way,” whose music video features a stylized Biblical storyline in which she personifies Mary Magdalene caught between her allegiance to Jesus and an attraction to Judas Iscariot.

source: interaksyon.com