Lady Gaga is being honored as one of five members to share the LennonOno peace prize for her work on rights for gays, lesbians and transgenders. The grant will be given by Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono, in memory of the legendary Beatles star.
In a statement, Ono said that Gaga is “One of the biggest living artists of our time,” and that her “Born This Way” altered “the mental map of the world.” Lady Gaga will accept the award in person, giving the charitable donation that comes with it to the Elton John AIDS Foundation to support their work combating HIV among US disadvantaged youth.
The other four honorees include jailed Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot, American activist Rachel Corrie (who died in 2003), author John Perkins, and British American writer Christopher Hitchens (who died in 2011). The event will take place on Tuesday the 9th, on what would have been Lennon’s 72nd birthday.
In her statement Ono said of Gaga: “She is not only an artist, she is also an activist, using her art to bring better communication to the world. She is being acknowledged for her activism, and how her album ‘Born This Way’ has widely changed the mental map of the world. And how it has made us deal with the future world, which happens to be here already.”
The celebration will be held in Reykjavik, Iceland. Gaga launched the Born This Way Foundation in 2011 to remedy the effects of bullying, and considers the cause to be very close to her heart. “When you see someone being negative to somebody else, it’s OK to intervene and stand up for someone that needs it … I don’t believe that one person can change the world. I believe that humankind, as a whole, can change the world,” Gaga said during her remarks at Harvard University while launching the foundation last March.
When asked why she felt like she could be the one to help bring about peace and tolerance, Gaga told ABC News: “”I guess I sort of have this feeling that if I can make a song called ‘Just Dance’ really big all over the world, I might be able to make a song that’s, y’know, ‘Just Be Nice!'”