It was quite possibly the most emotional moment of the Oscars. The moment received a standing ovation and left many of the nominees, and most of America, in tears. Lady Gaga stole the Oscar stage with her beautiful performance of “Till It Happens to You.”

The song was co-written by Lady Gaga and Diane Warren. It was to be used for the 2015 documentary “Hunting Ground,” a film about the recent surge of rapes on America’s college campuses. It became an anthem for sexual assault survivors everywhere.

When talking about the song, Gaga has been quoted saying, “The person that I’m singing to is the person that wants to heal me – I’m telling them that they can’t.” She continues with, “I am so sick of people walking in and out of my life, telling me that I’m gonna be okay, because I am still in so much pain that you can’t understand.”

After an introduction from vice president Joe Biden, Gaga sat at a piano and poured her heart out into the beautiful song. Meanwhile, a curtain parted behind her, revealing several sexual assault survivors, men and women, with words and phrases like “not alone” and “survivor” written on their arms. The survivors, including Gaga, joined hands and raised their arms up in unity.

When Gaga was 19, an older man, apparently a record producer she worked with, assaulted her. During her younger years, she attended a Catholic school. She has always been raised Catholic, so she knew the act was a sin, but she blamed herself nonetheless. Because of this, she kept the secret hidden from many, including some family members.

Some family members only learned of her assault after the nationally aired performance. She brought this to attention in an Instagram post, posting a picture of her grandmother and aunt, the relatives that contacted her after the performance, and captioned it, “My grandmother and my Aunt Sheri both called me the day after the Oscars because I never told them I was a survivor. I was too ashamed. Too afraid. And it took me a long time to even admit to myself because I’m Catholic and I knew it was evil, but I thought it was my fault. I thought it was my fault for ten years. ”

Lady Gaga says she still questions whether the assault was her fault. “It’s something that changed me forever, and it made me question everything about what I had done to be where I am today. I thought to myself, ‘Did I do something wrong to bring this on myself? What did I do?'”

Gaga’s brave song about assault and the fearless performance in front of millions brought about support from many, including Kesha, who was recently told she must continue working with her abuser. The pop tweeted, “Thank you Lady Gaga and VP Joe Biden for bringing attention to sexual assault at the Oscars. It hit very close to my heart for obvious reasons.” Other celebrities showed their support, also. Tyra Banks tweeted, “You continue to give me chills Lady Gaga. My love goes out to all who have been sexually assaulted.” She ended her tweet with the hash tag “not your fault.”

Sexual assault is a problem that’s getting more and more common, and role models like Lady Gaga and Kesha are beginning to break the silence on the truth about sexual assault. They are bringing together survivors and uniting them. Survivors are finally able to look around and realize they’re not alone and it’s not their fault.