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Lady Gaga Wants To Meet With Obama To Talk Bullying
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 22, 2011
Modified Sep 26, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 22, 2011
Modified Sep 26, 2011
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This week, a 14-year-old boy who recorded an "It Gets Better" video earlier this year was found dead of an apparent suicide. Jamey Rodemeyer dedicated one of his final messages to his hero, Lady Gaga: "Thank you Lady Gaga. For everything you have done for me. Paws up forever." Gaga has now responded to Jamey's tragic death by vowing to meet with President Obama to discuss bullying laws: "I am meeting with our President. I will not stop fighting. This must end. Our generation has the power to end it. Trend it #MakeALawForJamey."
She wrote earlier yesterday: "The past days I've spent reflecting, crying, and yelling. I have so much anger. It is hard to feel love when cruelty takes someones life." Then she tweeted the specifics about Jamey to her followers: "Jamey Rodemeyer, 14 yrs old, took his life because of bullying. http://tinyurl.com/6e7n49s. Bullying must become be illegal. It is a hate crime."
In an "It Gets Better" video which he made in May, Jamey talked about how he was inspired by Lady Gaga and her message of tolerance; his Tumblr is filled with pictures and quotes from the singer as well. Jamey's mom Tracy Rodemeyer told CBS that Jamey had his own message: "For a young kid of 14 and a half, he had a big message, a huge message, that shouldn't even have to be a message. It should just be common decency to not make people feel worthless and useless on this planet." She added that she will bury her son Saturday in a Lady Gaga t-shirt which reads, "Born This Way."
Tagged
bullying
gay
it gets better
lady gaga
president obama
suicide
teen
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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