In yet another example of important issues making for odd bedfellows, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has teamed up with Lady Gaga on a new initiative to fight sexual assault. The organization’s mission is right there in its name, It’s On Us, meaning it’s on each and every one of us to stop sexual assault from happening.
Honored to work with a woman of great courage, my friend @ladygaga. With her leadership, and your help, we can change the culture. #ItsOnUs https://t.co/ZcaOqncopa
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 25, 2017
“We want to make it real clear: It’s on us,” Biden says in a video message posted to social media. “It’s on everyone to intervene, to stop abuse when they see it and when they hear about it.” In the video, Biden applauds Lady Gaga for bravely championing the issue of sexual assault, which the singer explains is a heartbreakingly personal one for her. “I am a sexual assault survivor and I know the effects, the aftermath, the trauma: psychological, physical, mental,” she says in the video. “It can be terrifying waking up every day feeling unsafe in your own body.”
According to the initiative’s website, It’s On Us serves both as a touchstone for a cultural movement aimed at shifting the way people think about sexual assault and as “a rallying cry inviting everyone to step up and realize that the solution begins with us.” Get involved here.
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