Lady Gaga recently opened up about rumors that proliferated early in her career that she had a penis and explained why she never denied them.Earlier this week, Netflix dropped its new show Whats Next? The Future with Bill Gates. The five-episode series features conversations between the billionaire Microsoft founder and various thought leaders and celebrities about the most pressing challenges of our age. In its second episode, Gates tackles truth in the age of digital misinformation, and one of the experts he turns to is Lady Gaga, who knows a thing or two about how false claims and rumors can spread online. Related Lady Gaga reveals the queer inspiration for her hit Poker Face Now thats my kind of poker face, the singer said during a recent performance. So, when I was in my early twenties, there was a rumor that I was a man, the Born This Way singer explains to Gates. And I went all over the world. I mean, I traveled for tours, for promoting my records, and almost every interview I sat in they said, you know well, there was this imagery on the, on the internet that had been doctored. And they were like, you know, like, Theres this rumor that youre a man. Like, What do you have to say about that? Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today As them notes, rumors that Gaga had as one dubious gossip site put it at the time both male and female genitalia seem to have peaked in 2009, a year after the release of her debut album The Fame. A photo taken that June during her set at the Glastonbury Festival appeared to show a bulge in her underwear, and the famously vicious gossip blogs of the decade used it to fuel wild speculation about the singer.In August 2009, ABC News even reported on the rumors, quoting the pop stars manager as saying that they were completely ridiculous.But Gaga herself steadfastly refused to address the speculation. When asked about the rumors that she had a male appendage by 60 Minutes Anderson Cooper in 2011, she simply replied, Maybe I do. Would it be so terrible?Why the hell am I going to waste my time and give a press release about whether or not I have a penis? she added. My fans dont care and neither do I.On Gatess Netflix show, the 13-time Grammy Winner explained why she never denied the rumors.The reason why I didnt answer the question was because I didnt feel like a victim with that lie, she said. But I thought about, like, what about a kid thats being accused of that, that would think that a public figure like me would feel shame?I guess what Im saying is, Ive been in situations where fixing a rumor was not in the best interest of, I thought, of the well-being of other people, she added. In that case, I tried to be thought-provoking and disruptive in another way. I tried to use the misinformation to create another disruptive point. People assume [] that my performance is whats not real. But to me, thats the most real thing that youll see about me. Lady Gaga talks about how she's handled misinformation in her career in Whats Next? The Future with Bill Gates. Now playing. pic.twitter.com/legQm24FEA Netflix (@netflix) September 18, 2024