Lady Gaga Urges Obama to Make Bullying 'Illegal' Following Teen's Suicide (VIDEO)
The tragic death of 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer, who took his own life Sunday, has incited Lady Gaga to appeal to President Barack Obama in an effort to end bullying.
Rodemeyer, trying to inspire other bullied teens, posted his own "It Gets Better" video on YouTube where he discussed the torment he encountered upon coming out to his peers.
"I felt like I could never escape it," Rodemeyer stated. "People would constantly send me hate, telling me that gay people go to hell."
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However, the Williamsville, N.Y., teen added, "I just want to tell you it does get better. I got so much support from my friends and it made me feel so secure."
Rodemeyer acknowledged that Lady Gaga, his idol, brought him happiness because "she lets me know I was born this way."
"That's my advise to you from her [Gaga] – You were born this way," the 14-year-old said. "All you have to do is hold your head up and you'll go far."
According to his parents, Tracy and Tim Rodemeyer, their son ended his life after years of abuse from school bullies because of his sexuality.
Lady Gaga, who was thanked in the final entry on Rodemeyer's Tumblr page, has expressed her sadness and outrage at the tragic end of such a young life.
"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," the pop queen wrote on Twitter.
She added, "Jamey Rodemeyer, 14 yrs old, took his life because of bullying. Bullying must become illegal. It is a hate crime."
Lady Gaga urged all of her "little monsters" to retweet her message regarding bullying so that it would wind up on Twitter's Trends list.
"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 tweeted.
A spokesperson for the White House could not confirm whether or not a meeting between Gaga and President Obama had been officially scheduled, MTV News reported.
Tracy Rodemeyer said she would bury her son this Saturday in a "Born This Way" Lady Gaga t-shirt.
Gaga has been a strong supporter for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender community and has publicly spoken about her experiences with bullying.
Jamey Rodemeyer's "It Gets Better" video can be seen below:
