On a dark stage through a small window, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta let the world in on her pain, her fight and most importantly, her survival. In what I would argue was the most powerful moment of the 88th annual Academy Awards, Stefani, also known as Lady Gaga, tried to drill an incredibly strong and undeniably truth into the minds of the audience and viewers with the performance of her song “Til it Happens to You.”

‘Til it happens to you, you don’t know how it feels. Tell me, how the hell could you know?’

There is no way anyone who has never experienced an assault could fathom the feeling of having to live with it every day and have it follow you around like a shadow. There is no way anyone who hasn’t been sexually assaulted could piece together the way it feels to have another human strip you of your free will and make you wear the ‘survivor’ label. In those moments and those that follow, that is what you become, but it is not an easy cross to bear.

Stefani Germanotta was raped when she 19, which was before we knew her as Lady Gaga, before she wore the avant-garde outfits and before she became a public figure. We now know her as a result of all these things, but we also don’t question her story or her struggle. In fact, we praise her for being so public with her experience in hopes that it will lead to more people wanting to speak out.

The public has used Lady Gaga as a learning opportunity to not judge people who come forward as survivors of sexual abuse, but it is quite clear that our court system hasn’t learned this level of compassion. A New York Supreme Court judge is forcing a survivor to continue working with her attacker based on a lack of evidence.

Kesha Rose Sebert, better known as Ke$ha, signed to music producer Dr. Luke’s label — Kemosabe Records — when she was 18 and went on to make numerous hits, such as “Tik-Tok” and “Timber.” She is now 29 and is in the midst of a legal battle with Dr. Luke on claims that she was repeatedly sexually abused by the producer during the course of their 11-year partnership. Ke$ha filed paperwork in 2014 saying Dr. Luke forced her to take drugs and drink alcohol to make it easier for him to assault her.

We haven’t heard new music from Ke$ha ever since she came forward with these allegations. She has currently been fighting to be removed from Dr. Luke’s label because she doesn’t want to be forced to make music with her abuser. Dr. Luke maintains his innocence.

It is extremely important to note that Ke$ha was not trying to get Dr. Luke sent to prison or take anything from him. She simply wanted to sever ties with the man so she could further her musical career with someone she trusts.

All she wanted was to get away from him. The New York Supreme Court, however, denied her request for its involvement to help dissolve her contract with Kemosabe Records, stating that there was not enough physical evidence to corroborate her detailed claims of abuse.

I hate that I keep having to say “she claims.” To me, those words imply she lied, when in fact, the number of people who dishonestly come forward as survivors of sexual abuse is slim to none. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that only 2 to 8 percent of sexual abuse cases are false reports.

During an age when the public is hell bent on equality and acceptance, we are forcing a victim to put her career in the hands of the man who abused her. I don’t care if you don’t like Ke$ha and her music or if you are her biggest fan, statistically, it is highly unlikely this woman is lying about being a survivor, and none of us are in a position to accuse her of doing so.

Yes, she’s famous, and yes, she has a reputation of being a more risqué personality, but none of these things mean she had an ulterior motive to come forward with her story.

Lady Gaga is also a celebrity who is known for her out-there ways, but we aren’t sitting here telling her she is a liar or that she came forward with her story for personal gain. So what gives anyone the right to tell Ke$ha she is a liar?

The fact that there are officials in 2016 who are able to tell a survivor, “No, you’re not a victim of sexual assault,” is sickening. There is no way for people to know what sexual assault is like until they experience it, as tragic as that is to say. No human being on this earth has the power to look at people and tell them they weren’t abused. So please, tell me how the hell could this judge know?