Lady Gaga. She’s not just a fantastic songwriter and performer, she’s also dedicated her career to protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer people throughout the United States. Of course, she knows first-hand how bad homophobia can be. As a bisexual woman who writes and performs music about falling for women, she knows that the industry isn’t always accepting of LGBT performers. But she’s constantly made her voice loud against bigotry, and that’s why we’re celebrating her today.

Here are 10 of our favorite achievements of hers over the course of 2016... 

But first, check out the Queer of the Year Finalists. 

Her Oscar Performance

Lady Gaga performed her song “Til It Happens to You” at this year's Academy Awards on piano, accompanied by a wave of sexual survivors standing in support with one another. Check out clips from the performance on YouTube.

And Her Oscar Nomination

Of course, “Til It Happens to You” was originally performed for The Hunting Ground, a documentary on sexual assault in American universities. Amidst her performance, Gaga was also nominated for an Oscar that night. Congratulations to you, Mother Monster!

Oh, and Her David Bowie Tribute

David Bowie was an inspiration to queer men and women everywhere, paving the way for us to accept ourselves, our sexualities, our bodies, and our lives. Lady Gaga knew that, and at this year's Grammys, she gave a moving tribute to David Bowie. Check out Rolling Stone’s article and some clips from the tribute over here.

Winning the Jane Ortner Education Award

True, Lady Gaga might not have grabbed an Oscar this year, but she did earn the Jane Ortner Education Award. The award, of course, is awarded by the Grammy Museum to an artist dedicated to empowering education through the arts.

Supporting Joe Biden's “It's On Us” Anti-Sexual Assault Campaign

Joe Biden didn’t just introduce Lady Gaga during the Oscars. Gaga also partnered with the Vice President again for his “It’s On Us” campaign, appearing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to help fight back against sexual assault on college campuses. Check out Vice President Biden’s interview on the campaign right here.

And Meeting with the Dalai Lama

Lady Gaga met with His Holiness to discuss mental health and self-care for today’s teens and young adults. The two of them had a fascinating and insightful conversation that is a must-watch for anyone struggling out there during the holidays. Check out the conversation right over here.

Launching the Love Bravery Clothing Line

Lady Gaga and Elton John came together to launch the Love Bravery clothing line for Macy’s. Dedicated to fighting bigotry, 25% of all proceeds go to the Born This Way Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Check out some of the line at Refinery29.

Her PTSD Letter

PTSD is a troubling issue for many members of our community. But earlier this year, Lady Gaga came out about her own struggles with PTSD, empowering the voices of thousands. Read the letter here if you haven’t already.

 

"Health, happiness, love—these are the things that are at the heart of a great lady, I think. That's the kind of lady I want to be."

A photo posted by xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) on Nov 16, 2016 at 1:22am PST

Joanne

Mother Monster launched a new album at the end of October, and suffice to say, we’re in love. If you haven’t listened yet, we highly recommend checking out our top recommendations first before diving in.

Her Activism on Behalf of Pulse Victims

Lady Gaga has always been with us in both the brightest moments, as well as the darkest. During a vigil in Los Angeles, Lady Gaga read the names of all 49 Pulse victims, supporting our community in one of the most heartbreaking moments of 2016.

 

@ladygaga speaks out in front of Los Angeles City Hall #love #pulse #losangeles #cityhall #vigil #lgbtq #lgbt #photojournalism #photojournalist #news #journalism #bornthisway #ladygaga #gaga #orlandoshooting #orlandovigil #pride #gay #lesbian #trans #orlandostrong

A photo posted by Timmy Truong (@timmytusa) on Jun 13, 2016 at 9:09pm PDT

Thank you, Mother Monster, for always being there for us.