7:48
- ABC News
- February 29, 2016
The Stories Behind the Survivors in Lady Gaga's Oscars Performance
Three of the sexual assault survivors on stage spoke about their experience.
“One of the things we say is that anybody could be a survivor [of sexual assault],” Clark said.
This was evident on the Oscars stage last night, where many of the survivors who had never met before shared one unfortunate bond despite their diverse backgrounds.
Each of the survivors displayed different messages written on their forearms, including “Not alone,” “Not your fault,” and “We believe you.” The last phrase is something Clark feels is extremely important for a survivor of sexual violence to be told: “It’s always the last thing they hear,\" she said.
So inspired by this amazing group of brave survivors #oscars pic.twitter.com/Wd44UY67CL
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) February 29, 2016
Pino was happy to take the stage in front of some of the most influential people in the world. “We are rarely in a place where we get to see who our audience is, and knowing that there’s Hollywood’s most powerful people out there ... people in positions of power need to talk about these issues and I hope people start bringing these conversations back to the industry,\" she said.
Diaz said that she’s always wanted to attend the Oscars, but even so, “as amazing as this weekend was, I would take it all back. If you have the option to not have this [assault] happen, I would take it all back.”
The three women agree that the encouragement and support they received from some of the most powerful figures in Hollywood is essential for bringing dialogue about sexual violence into the mainstream.
Diaz just hopes that outpouring of support in the hours since the performance isn’t fleeting.
“I want that emotion that people felt to not be for a moment ... for [survivors] it’s not for a moment, it’s our whole lives,\" she said.
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