Lady Gaga has opened up like never before.
Never one to shy away from an opinion (ask her about Melania Trump) or to be anything but true to herself, the artist recently visited the Ali Forney Center, a shelter for homeless LGBT youth located in Harlem.
She did so on behalf of the #ShareKindness campaign, a movement started by The Today Show and NBCUniversal which celebrates kind acts of all types and all sizes.
Speaking to Today about her visit and this movement in general, Gaga said the following:
“Kindness, to me, is an action of love or a showing of love to someone else. I also believe that kindness is the cure to violence and hatred around the world.
“I like to share kindness in a lot of different ways.”
She continued:
“I love to give things to people that have nothing or less than me. These children are not just homeless or in need. Many of them are trauma survivors; they’ve been rejected in some kind of way.
“My own trauma in my life has helped me to understand the trauma of others.”
Yes, her trauma.
In 2014, Gaga revealed that she was raped at the age of 19.
But she opened up for the first time about the aftermath of this horrible incident during her time with the homeless residents of this shelter.
“I don’t have the same kind of issues that you have,” she told the group during a meditation session.
“But I have a mental illness and I struggle with that every day, so I need my mantra to help keep me relaxed.”
I have a mental illness.
There are words you don’t hear uttered very often by a celebrity.
Gaga elaborated on her admission when speaking with Today.
“I told the kids today that I suffer from a mental illness. I suffer from PTSD. I’ve never told anyone that before, so here we are,” she said, adding:
“The kindness that’s been shown to me by doctors – as well as my family and my friends – it’s really saved my life.”
Gaga said she’s learned to try and help anyone who has suffered through a trauma by simply injecting them with as many “positive thoughts” as possible.
It’s vital for people to remind the homeless youth “that they’re not alone and that they’re loved,” Gaga expounded. “I am no better than any of those kids, and I’m no worse than any of them.
“We are equal. We both walk our two feet on the same earth and we’re in this together. We as a world are suffering from war…Kindness is the way to becoming more harmonious.”
Amen, Lady Gaga.
Pretty awesome and empowering stuff, huh?
Scroll around below to read through a rundown of other celebrities who suffer from a mental illness.
