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Lady Gaga and her mother — along with an all-star group of supporters including Oprah Winfrey, David Burtka, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius — launched the Born This Way Foundation Wednesday afternoon at Harvard University. It’s a national antibullying effort set on promoting a “braver, kinder world.”
“I want it to be part of the natural fabric of schooling, so that someone knows that it is not OK to be intolerant of your children, it is not OK to be unaccepting, it is not OK to be violent because you don’t understand,” Gaga said during the launch event. “If you teach your kids to love everyone, hopefully that will, over time, branch out.”
Led by Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, the foundation aims to raise public consciousness about the need for support and acceptance of everyone — “a youth empowerment foundation ... about transformative change in culture over time,” Gaga said.
In response to questions from a diverse panel that included Deepak Chopra, Burtka, Sebelius, and Jamey Rodemeyer’s sister Alyssa, Gaga answered questions about the foundation and the large hurdles the movement faces in schools and the public sphere.
“It's going to take a really long time, and if anyone knows how to get a message out there, it's me,” she said. “I have this feeling that if I can make a song called ‘Just Dance,’ I might be able to make a song that's ‘Just Be Nice.’
“It is hard to be brave, I don't have all the answers, in fact I have very few. I'm someone that is very passionate, and what I would like for you to do is be just one of many examples.”
There are no official events announced, but Germanotta said some very specific “programs” will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
The foundation is officially up and running online, and the Born Brave Bus, a mobile advocacy resource, will follow Gaga’s tour bus during the North American leg of her upcoming Born This Way Ball tour.
Watch a recording of the keynote address here.
