PORTLAND, Me. — There were no strobe lights, no outlandish costumes and only a mediocre sound system. But Lady Gaga was here, and the crowd jumped up and down, snapping photos as a whirl of platinum-blond hair emerged from an S.U.V. and walked up a concrete ramp to a tiny stage.
Video: Lady Gaga’s Speech (MSNBC)Blog
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“There she is,” a girl shrieked. Not the typical reception for someone who is on hand to deal with a Congressionalfilibuster.
Lady Gaga, the pop music sensation whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, was here to make an impassioned speech to the crowd of college students, parents with small children, teenagers and service members calling for the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
A military authorization bill being considered by the Senate this week would repeal the 17-year-old policy, which allows gay and bisexual people to serve as long as they do not disclose their orientation or engage in homosexual acts.
Supporters of a repeal are not sure they have the 60 votes necessary to overcome a Republican filibuster. Maine has become the last-minute battleground for them because its two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, are publicly undecided on the issue.
“Equality is the prime rib of America, but because I am gay, I don’t get to enjoy the greatest cut of meat my country has to offer,” Lady Gaga said, referencing a dress she wore last week to the MTV Video Music Awards that was made out of cuts of steak.
“Shouldn’t everyone deserve to wear the same meat dress I do?” she said.
In recent weeks Lady Gaga, who has long supported gay rights, has made repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” a personal mission. Last week, she appeared alongside four discharged service members whom she took to the awards show, then took on Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, on Twitter and made a YouTube video calling for the policy’s repeal.
Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which organized the Maine event, said his group reached out to associates of Lady Gaga weeks ago.
“She said: ‘I want to be strategic. I’ll go to Washington, but I’m not sure there are any votes in Washington,’ ” Mr. Sarvis said. She finished a concert in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday night and drove 15 hours in her tour bus to get here for a 5 p.m. appearance.
Lady Gaga called on Senators Snowe and Collins and Senator Scott P. Brown, Republican of Massachusetts, to support a repeal.
In an e-mail, Kevin Kelley, a spokesman for Ms. Collins, said that the senator was the only Republican on the Armed Forces Committee to vote for a repeal and that “she believes that our armed forces should welcome the service of any qualified individual who is willing and capable to serve our country.”
Ms. Collins, however, is calling for an open debate on the issue and for allowing committee members to offer amendments to the bill.
In a statement, Ms. Snowe said that the law was due “for a thorough review,” but that she wanted a comprehensive study completed before a vote was taken.