I’m not sure that we need to know this, and I am well aware that not too long ago such a thing would be the norm instead of a surprise, but the rock-disco singer Lady Gaga has announced that she is celibate (at present). What’s more, she is advising young people to follow her example, MTV reports:

Forget that ride on the disco stick … at least for now. That’s the message Lady Gaga is sending to her fans, telling them that they should follow her example and live a celibate lifestyle. . . .

“I can’t believe I’m saying this — don’t have sex. I’m single right now and I’ve chosen to be single because I don’t have the time to get to know anybody,” she said while visiting England to help promote MAC’s Viva Glam campaign, which supports global HIV and AIDS projects. “So it’s OK not to have sex, it’s OK to get to know people. I’m celibate, celibacy’s fine.”

Gaga said her celibacy is something she wants to “celebrate” with her fans, extending her oft-repeated message to her “little monsters” that they should be secure in their own skin and not shy away from being different.

“It’s OK to be whomever it is that you want to be,” she said. “You don’t have to have sex to feel good about yourself, and if you’re not ready, don’t do it. And if you are ready, there are free condoms given away at my concerts when you’re leaving! … I remember the cool girls when I was growing up. Everyone started to have sex. But it’s not really cool anymore to have sex all the time. It’s cooler to be strong and independent.”

Her message is clearly all about choice: you should choose what’s right and best for you, and if you make a choice, be smart about it. Thus the condom giveaways—the songstress points out that HIV infection rates are rising among women in her age group (17-24) and that of her partner in an HIV awareness campaign, Cindy Lauper (38-56).

Interestingly, especially in light of the curent debate over golfer Tiger Woods’s conduct during televised matches, Ms. Gaga embraces her status as a role model to her mostly young audience, acknowledging that her wealth and fame bring a certain set of responsibilities:

“When you’re in the public eye, you’re a role model whether you want to be or not. And I want to be,” she said. “I’m not one of those self-obsessed artists who don’t care about their fans. It’s not just about the music.”

Very mature words from such a young lady.