May 24, 2021
Watch: Gaga Accepts West Hollywood's Key to the City on 'Born This Way Day'
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Lady Gaga accepted the key to the city of West Hollywood on May 23, which the city declared "Born This Way Day" in honor of the album's 10th anniversary.
As Pitchfork reported, Gaga was presented with the key to the city by Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath, who thanked her for "encouraging us to love ourselves and be proud."
Speaking to a cheering crowd, Gaga said: "You've been the motherfucking key to my heart for a long time! ... I'll honor this and I'll cherish this, and I promise that I'll always be here for this day."
Taking to Twitter, the Grammy- and Academy Award-winning artist revealed the song, long embraced as an LGBTQ anthem, and the eponymous album on which it appeared "were inspired by Carl Bean, a gay black religious activist who preached, sung, and wrote about being 'Born This Way.'"
In addition to May 23 being declared as "Born This Way Day," a massive street mural was painted in Gaga's honor ahead of West Hollywood's Pride season.
Watch Gaga accept the key to the city of West Hollywood below:
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
