NEWSLGBT YOUTH

Director Lee Hirsch and The Weinstein Company have announced that the documentary “Bully” will receive a “PG-13” rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) after more than 500,000 people, including 35 Members of Congress and celebrities like Ellen Degeneres and Meryl Streep, joined a campaign on Change.org started by a bullied high school student.

Katy Butler, a 17 year-old student from Michigan who experienced extensive bullying when she came out as a lesbian in middle school, launched a petition on Change.org after learning that the MPAA had rejected an appeal to change the rating of "Bully" from "R" to "PG-13" so students could see the film.

Following news of the rating change, Butler issued a thank you to those who supported her campaign: “On behalf of the more than half a million supporters who joined me on Change.org in petitioning the MPAA, I want to express how grateful I am not only to the MPAA for lowering the rating without cutting a vital scene, but to all of the people who used their voices to put a national spotlight on this movie and its mission,” said Butler.

Butler’s campaign on Change.org attracted support from major international celebrities, with Ellen DeGeneres and Anderson Cooper inviting Butler to appear on their shows and urging their viewers to support her petition. In addition, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Demi Lovato, Randy Jackson, Kelly Ripa, Justin Bieber, Drew Brees, and several other celebrities all encouraged their fans to sign Katy’s petition or show support to “Bully."

Butler’s petition also gained support from 35 Members of Congress, who endorsed a congressional sign-on letter issued by Rep. Mike Honda (D-California) urging the MPAA to change “Bully’s” rating from “R” to “PG-13.” Leader Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also tweeted their support for Katy's campaign to their followers on Twitter.

Butler started her petition on Change.org because she thought it was ridiculous that the "R" rating -- given for coarse, but real words used by bullies in the film -- was keeping the target audience from seeing this film: bullies and bully victims.

“The brief usage of language in this film reflects what so many kids hear each day in school when they’re being bullied," said Butler.

To view Katy Butler's Change.org petition, click here.

To view a Washington Post profile of Katy Butler, click here.

To view Katy Butler’s appearance on CBS This Morning, click here. 

To view Katy Butler’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, click here.

To view Katy Butler’s appearance on FOX & Friends, click here.

Photo credit: Change.org

The Weinstein Company has announced that “Bully,” the award-winning documentary about the epidemic of school bullying in the United States, will open in theaters on March 30 as “unrated” after nearly 500,000 people signed an extraordinarily popular online petition at Change.org demanding that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) remove the “R” rating initially given to the movie by the MPAA’s ratings board.

“I am happy ‘Bully’ will maintain its authenticity and will be an accurate portrayal of what thousands of kids experience every day,” said Katy Butler, a bullied high school student from Michigan who was outraged that the MPAA gave “Bully” an “R” rating by just one vote because of brief language. Butler, who had her finger broken by bullies in middle school, urged the MPAA to remove the “R” rating from “Bully” so that middle school and high school students would have a chance to see a movie that could potentially save their lives.

In early November, Katy Butler (pictured left) and Carson Borbely, two bullied LGBT students from Michigan, started a petition urging the Michigan legislature to stop the dangerous “license to bully” bill that had passed in the Michigan state senate. As the campaign grew and this controversial bill garnered national attention, the Michigan state house was forced to pass a new anti-bullying bill that lacked an exemption for religious and moral bullying.

On Tuesday, November 29, the Michigan state senate passed the Michigan state house's version of the anti-bullying bill -- which lacked the "license to bully" language -- after more than 50,000 people joined Katy and Carson's popular petition campaign on Change.org.

Unfortunately, the bill also lacked enumeration of the reasons why students are bullied and requirements for schools to report back on how well they're protecting kids -- two provisions that Butler and Borbely assert are necessary to actually protect Michigan students from bullying.

This is a personal appeal to the Michigan state senate by Katy Butler, a 16-year-old student and bully victim from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Bullying hurts, it's real, and it can kill. And it's a very serious problem that countless students like me face everyday in schools across Michigan.

Right now, legislators in Lansing are faced with a choice. The Michigan state senate can either do what's easy, or do what's right. They can pass a weak bill that won't actually protect students. Or they can pass a strong anti-bullying law that enumerates the reasons why students are bullied, and requires that schools report back on how well they're protecting us.

For students who have endured bullying like me, and for the more than 50,000 people who have signed my petition on Change.org, it's pretty clear what choice we need them to make.

Three more pro sports teams have contributed videos to the "It Gets Better" project: The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball as well as D.C. United of Major League Soccer. Over 2,000 Change.org members signed petitions asking the Phillies and Rays to make "It Gets Better" videos, and more than 300 signed a petition toD.C. United.

The Phillies and Rays bring the total to 7 MLB teams who've made "It Gets Better" videos: They join the Giants, Cubs,Red Sox, Orioles and Mariners. The Twins and Nationals have also committed to make videos, though they have not yet been released. D.C. United is the first pro sports team from any league other than baseball to create an "It Gets Better" video (although players from the Seattle Storm, Sounders, and Seahawks also appeared in the Mariners' video).

The Phillies' video has particular meaning for Jerome Hunt, who started the Change.org petition asking the Phillies to join the "It Gets Better" campaign. A lifelong Phillies fan and former bullying victim, Hunt says that, "To finally see the Phillies It Get's Better Video is kind of surreal. I know in my heart that the Phillies have truly made a difference for some LGBT youth with this video. Hearing words of acceptance from someone you look up to and admire can really help you through a tough time."

More than 7,000 people have signed Illinois-resident Lair Scott’s Change.org petition calling on Sesame Street to marry Bert and Ernie.

“I started this Change.org petition because I believe we need more media representation of gay and lesbian people in children’s programming,” said Scott. “There are currently no LGBT characters on Sesame Street, nor in any children’s television program.”

Scott sees the campaign as about more than just LGBT characters as individuals, but as family units. According to 2010 U.S. Census data, it is estimated that one quarter of all same gender couples are raising children, and same gender couples are raising children in 96% of the counties in the United States.

“Thousands of kids are growing up in homes with two moms and two dads,” he said. “They need to see families like their own on television.”

The Tampa Bay Rays have announced their intention to film an “It Gets Better” video by late August, becoming the ninth team in professional sports to join the nation-wide campaign in taking a stand against anti-gay bullying and homophobia.

The Giants, Cubs, Red Sox and Orioles have all made “It Gets Better” videos after being petitioned by their fans to do so on Change.org, and the Phillies, Twins, Mariners, and Nationals have announced that they are making videos as well.

“We believe in the impact these videos can have upon LGBTQ youth in all communities,” said Brian Auld, Senior Vice President of Business Operations for the Rays. “The Rays are proud to join fellow baseball clubs in taking a stand against bullying.”

The Rays’ decision came after Jacksonville resident Ben Douthett started a petition on Change.org asking the Rays to make an “It Gets Better” video. More than 2,000 people -- mostly Floridians -- signed Douthett’s petition.