Lady Gaga attempted to celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday by sharing a post of trans actor and influencer Dylan Mulvaney. But after being hit with a torrent of hateful comments, Gaga is fighting back with a post calling out those who spread hate.

“It’s appalling to me that a post about National Women’s Day by Dylan Mulvaney and me would be met with such vitriol and hatred,” she posted on March 11. “When I see a newspaper reporting on hatred but calling it ‘backlash’ I feel it is important to clarify that hatred is hatred, and this kind of hatred is violence. ‘Backlash’ would imply that people who love or respect Dylan and me didn’t like something we did. This is not backlash. This is hatred. “

Gaga goes on to say, “I feel very protective in this moment, not only of Dylan, but of the trans community who continues to lead the way with their endless grace and inspiration in the face of constant degradation, intolerance, and physical, verbal, and mental violence.”

While noting that she doesn’t speak for “this community,” she notes, “I have something to say.”

“I hope all women will come together to honor us ALL for International Women’s Day, and may we do that always until THE DAY that all women are celebrated equally,” she writes. “That all people are celebrated equally. A day where people of all gender identities are celebrated on whichever holiday speaks to them. Because people of all gender identities and races deserve peace and dignity.”

Gaga concluded her message with a call for all people to “honor the complexity and challenge of trans life—that we do not know, but can seek to understand and have compassion for.”

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