Teenage sensation Justin Bieber is one of several stars who has stepped up to speak out against bullying. Bieber's 20-second PSA follows other celebrity video contributions from actor Colin Farrell, comedienne Kathy Griffin, singer Adam Lambert and President Barack Obama. The PSAs were created for the It Gets Better Project, a campaign inspired by a number of recent LGBT youth suicides. Since its initial conception in Sep. 2010, the project has turned into a worldwide movement and now with Bieber on board, the message reaches the cause of bullying and its salvation, today's youth.
Bieber admits to feeling bullied himself after Vancouver incident
Sixteen-year-old Bieber was in Vancouver during October when a 12-year-old boy allegedly threw a gay slur his way during a game of laser tag. According to CBS news on Oct. 18, 2010, one witness said that the 12-year-old cornered Bieber repeatedly, shooting at him and taunting him with comments about being gay. The alleged slur-slinger claimed that in response, Bieber punched him. The incident so affected Bieber reports CBSNews.com, that it prompted the teenage singer into supporting the It Gets Better Project campaign.
In a surprise visit to the Ellen show on Nov. 03, 2010, Bieber admits that even he isn't immune to bullying. "There are so many haters," Justin told Ellen DeGeneres. "They just say crazy stuff," he adds in direct reference to his YouTube page as Bieber's prominence alongside the Vancouver incident, seems to have prompted the teenage phenomenon to speak out against bullying.
The singer's support resulted in a 20-second PSA in which Bieber tells folks, "There's nothing cool about being bullied." After urging victims to seek help, Justin asks witnesses who observe bullying incidents to "be sure to step in and help out." The PSA backed by Bruno Mars', "Just the Way You Are," can be viewed at Itgetsbetter.org and at Ellen.warnerbros.com.
It Gets Better Project formed after slew of anti-gay bullying-related suicides
Sep. 2010 was a witness to a slew of gay-bullying related suicides. New Jersey student Tyler Clementi, jumped from a bridge after his roommate allegedly taped him having sex with a man and then posted it on the Internet. Thirteen-year-old Asher Brown, from Houston, Texas, shot himself after being accused of being gay; Seth Walsh of California and Billy Lucas of Indiana hung, themselves after enduring bullying about their sexual orientation.
Unfortunately, these four teens would not be the only suicides in Sep. 2010. Openly gay, 19-year-old Raymond Chase, a culinary arts major at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, hung himself in his dorm room on Sep. 29, while on Sep. 13, it was later revealed that 17-year-old Wisconsin teen Cody Barker – also openly gay, had taken his own life. Justin Aaberg of Minnesota, who came out at the age of 13, was another 2010 victim of suicide after hanging himself on July 09. Aaberg is one of five teen suicides within the same school district, three of which teachers believe can be attributed to anti-gay bullying.
In support for LGBT youth, the It Gets Better Project began as an attempt by syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage, to tell LGBT youth enduring bullying, to hang in there until it gets better. The project took off immediately and after just two short months, says Itgetsbetter.org, the project is now a "worldwide movement, inspiring over 5000 user-created videos and over 15 million views."
Boasting videos by celebrities like Kevin Bacon, Ellen DeGeneres, President Obama and now Justin Bieber, the It Gets Better Project says it hopes to, "Convince education leaders and policymakers of the urgent need to address anti-LGBT behavior and bias in our schools." The addition of Bieber's PSA is perhaps more significant than any anti-bullying law, however. Policymakers and schools can address bullying via enforcement, but to attack bullying head on requires changing the actual mindset of the world's youth. It's going to take several Justin Biebers to make bullying an issue; let's hope other teenage celebrities follow in his footsteps.
Note: all sources accessed Nov. 28, 2010.
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Elizabeth Batt - Elizabeth Batt is a former large animal nurse, certified NREMT, lover of equines and conservationist.
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