With Pride month on the horizon, this week’s 10th anniversary of Lady Gaga’s groundbreaking Born This Way was due for a big celebration in West Hollywood, and The Abbey provided the consummate locale to do so. The superstar made a surprise appearance there this past weekend, as part of the City of West Hollywood’s 40-day-long “One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival,” which kicked-off on Harvey Milk Day, Saturday, May 22, 2021 and runs through June 30 as Pride month closes.
WeHo had two proclamations last weekend including “Born This Way Day” honoring Gaga and the Born This Way Foundation on the 10th anniversary, as well as “The Abbey Day” celebrating the popular LGBTQ- owned food & bar’s 30 years in business . Presented by Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath to Lady Gaga and to The Abbey’s David Cooley, the event also offered Gaga drag performances and a temporary ‘Born This Way’ street-lane installation on Robertson Blvd. south of Santa Monica Blvd., on which Stefani Germanotta (Gaga’s real name) posed and pranced for rabid fans. Horvath also presented a “Key to the City” to the Lady, who donned brown tresses, torn fishnets and purple platform boots.
“Through her music and activism, Lady Gaga has become a cultural icon for our generation,” said Horvath. “The anthem ‘Born This Way’ has become an out-and-proud declarative stance for countless LGBTQ people. The Born This Way Foundation fosters honest conversations about mental health with young people and seeks to eradicate the stigma around mental health struggles.”
More info the One City One Pride Festival’s upcoming events go to www.weho.org/pride.
