by Rex Wockner
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Lady Gaga addressed the Euro Pride rally in Rome June 11 and sang a down-tempo version of "Born This Way" accompanied only by her piano playing.
"It has become clear to me that my greater mission is to be part of the joyous mobilization of the LGBT community worldwide," she said in her address to the throngs at Circus Maximus park in the city center. "Today and every day we fight for freedom, we fight for justice, we beckon for compassion, understanding and, above all, we want full equality now!"
"The stories of all my beautiful fans, the young soldiers, the homeless LGBT youth, anti-gay violence, the effect that the denial of gay marriage has on real families worldwide: These are the stories that must be told to the world," Gaga said. "These are the stories that will change the world. These are the stories that speak out in the defense of love. We are here today because we are not less valuable. We are here to proclaim our strength, our steadfastness and our intelligence. We will not be treated as anything less than human."
"I have spoken out all over the world, repeatedly and viciously, about these issues," she said. "I'm often questioned, 'Why so much gayspeak?' I am often questioned: 'How gay are you, Lady Gaga? Why is this question, why is this issue so important?' My answer is: I am a child of diversity, I am one with my generation, I feel a moral obligation as a woman, or a man, to exercise my revolutionary potential and make the world a better place. And, on a gay scale of 1 to 10, I'm a Judy Garland fucking 42."
"Let us give birth to a new and international ideology. Let us come together and synthesize our histories into today. Let us be revolutionaries of love and use our human powers, our very strong human powers, to save lives and encourage unity around the world."
Prior to the rally, some 400,000 people took part in the Euro Pride parade.
The event moves to a different European city yearly.
In Greece, meanwhile, some 10,000 people marched in the seventh Athens gay pride parade June 4. The turnout doubled last year's numbers.
