Lady Gaga, a Sexual Assault Survivor, Explains Why We Should Believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford

Lady Gaga says the "debate" surrounding Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and her allegations that Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school "is one of the most upsetting things I have ever witnessed."

The singer-turned-actress, who is a sexual assault survivor herself, explained why the public should believe Dr. Ford—and other survivors—during her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night.

"I'll tell you exactly why. And I also know this woman is smart because she's a psychologist. She's no dummy," Gaga said on the talk show, a week after Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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"If someone is assaulted or experiences trauma, there is science and scientific proof, it's biology, that people change. The brain changes. And literally what it does is it takes the trauma and it puts it in a box, and it files it away and shuts it so that we can survive the pain," Gaga said emphatically.

"It also does a lot of other things, it can cause body pains, baseline elevations in anxiety, it can cause complete avoidance of wanting to even remember or think about what happened to you," she continued.

"But what I believe that I have seen is that when this woman saw that Judge Kavanaugh was going to be possibly put in the highest position of power in the judicial system of this country, she was triggered. And that box opened. And when that box opened, she was brave enough to share it with the world to protect this country," Gaga concluded.

The superstar previously contributed the song "Til It Happens To You" to the soundtrack of The Hunting Ground, a harrowing documentary about sexual abuse on college campuses. She performed the Oscar-nominated song at the 2016 Academy Awards and featured real-life survivors in her powerful set.

It was through that emotional performance that some members of her family discovered she was a survivor. Gaga later shared on Instagram that her grandmother called her and told her, "My darling granddaughter, I've never been more proud of you than I am today."

While discussing "Til It Happens To You" at a TimesTalk in 2015, Gaga explained why she kept her assault secret for so long, and how guilty it made her feel. "I didn't tell anyone for seven years, I didn't know how to accept it. I didn't know how not to blame myself, or think it was my fault. It was something that really changed my life. It changed who I was completely. It changed my body," she said.

"There was some sort of religious guilt I felt...Because of the way I dress and that I'm provocative as a person, I thought I brought it upon myself and that it was my fault," she added, pointing out how women are often blamed for their own assault experiences.

Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now. 

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