Lady Gaga highlights campus rape, sexual assault in new music video

American pop icon Lady Gaga released the music video for her newest single “Til It Happens To You,” which puts focus on rape and sexual assault in college campuses all over the world and how it is dealt with shame and silence.

The singer, together with the song's writer Diane Warren, joins the cause of the documentary film “The Hunting Ground” which aims to expose rape crimes in college campuses.

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and featuring actress Nikki Reed as one of the victims, the black-and-white video depicts sexual assaults in different forms while all happening in a college campus setting.

The video disclaimer says, “The following contains graphic content that may be emotionally unsettling but reflects the reality of what is happening daily on college campuses.”

While the video may be mostly uncomfortable for viewers, it attempts to end on a positive note with all the victims rallying, and being supported by their family and friends.

Following the release of the video, Lady Gaga said in a tweet on Friday, “We hope u feel our love&solidarity through the song & perhaps find some peace in knowing u r not alone through this film #TilItHappensToYou”

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the song will be donated to organizations that helps survivors of sexual assault.

We hope u feel our love&solidarity through the song & perhaps find some peace in knowing u r not alone through this film #TilItHappensToYou

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) September 18, 2015

.@diane_warren & I made "Til It Happens To You" for people all over the world who suffer from painful life experiences. #TheHuntingGround

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) September 18, 2015

In 2014, Lady Gaga revealed she was raped as a teenager by a man 20 years older than her.

In an interview with radio host Howard Stern, the pop diva was talking about her controversial single "Swine" that stirred a lot of talk after she incorporated vomit art while performing it on stage when she made the revelation.

The singer only had the courage to admit the horrible incident to herself, years after it had happened, which helped her move on.
 
"It didn't affect me as much right after as it did about four or five years later. I was so traumatized by it that, I was like, just keep going. I just had to get out of there. I wasn't even willing to admit that anything had happened... I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't tell anybody. And I didn't even tell myself for the longest time. It wasn't until I was a little bit older that I went, 'Wow, that was really messed up.'"
 
Lady Gaga also revealed that she never confronted the man who raped her, and may never have the courage to because it might "terrify and paralyze" her. "I saw him one time in a store and I was so paralyzed by fear."
 
It was also hard to tell the public about her experience for fear that it might affect the people's perception of her and her music.
 
"I don't want to be defined by it. I'll be damned if somebody say that every creatively intelligent thing that I've ever did has all boiled down to [that horrible incident]. I'm going to take responsibility for all my pain looking beautiful and all the things that I made out of my strife," she said. — Bianca Rose Dabu/LBG, GMA News