In New York City this week to film her latest music video, Lady Gaga continued her mission to inform and educate young women on the virtues of safe sex.

“It’s always been important to me, as it’s for my generation, a most relevant consideration when you’re growing up. Sex doesn’t mean nothing; sex means so much,” Gaga, 25, told USA Today. “I hope that young women know that sex is still a big deal, and they don’t have to put out soon. If they want someone to court them for a while before they give it up, that’s wonderful and beautiful, and a man will only respect you more for honoring your body. I am that way.”

Some of her greatest work in this area has been with MAC Cosmetics and their Viva Glam campaign, which raises awareness of HIV/AIDS via sales of the Viva Glam line of lipsticks. Since becoming the face of the campaign in 2009 (following in the footsteps of Elton John, Cyndi Lauper and Mary J. Blige), Gaga has helped raise $55 million for the MAC AIDS Fund and now hopes to meet the lifetime goal of $250 million for the campaign.

“What I hope to do with this campaign is to not only raise awareness for AIDS and HIV but raise the awareness that it’s okay and wonderful and beautiful to love yourself and be happy and to honor your body and to use a condom or say no,” she says. “The conversation is the most important aspect of it.”

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