Last week, I mentioned that while writing, I saw a report of a death of a young teen. If you remember, it was a suicide directly resulting from bullying both at school and online. The boy was often taunted and discriminated against because of his struggles with his sexuality. Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old boy from Williamsville, NY, quickly made headlines across America, drawing attention from millions, even Lady Gaga. The singer and activist quickly responded to Rodemeyer’s death last Sunday, who was a fan.
Right before he ended his life, the young boy tweeted to his favorite singer, Lady Gaga saying “@ladygaga bye mother monster, thank you for all you have done, paws up forever.”
During the period that Jamey was bullied, Lady Gaga became an escape from the harsh insults that surrounded him daily. One song, ‘Born This Way,’ became his anthem that Jamey often relied on to get him through the hard times. However, as the cyber-bullying increased, Jamey began to think his fight was lost.
Jamey Rodemeyer with Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' photo courtesy of Daily Mail
The night before he died, he posted a lyric from Lady Gaga’s song The Queen on his Facebook saying, “Don’t forget me, when I come crying to heaven’s door.”
When Lady Gaga heard the news, she sent out her prayers to the Rodemeyer family, as well as vowed to continue fighting bullying.
Gaga tweeted, “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,” and later tweeted, “Jamey Rodemeyer, 14 yrs old, took his life because of bullying. Bullying must become be illegal. It is a hate crime.“
Since then she has attended a fundraiser, hosted by President Obama last Sunday to speak on behalf of Jamey and the issue of bullying. According to Advocate.com Gaga met with the President before the fundraiser to discuss the matter. During the Q & A portion of the night, Gaga also stood urging Obama and everyone else to continue strong in the fight against bullying, and even proposing a law against bullying.
Before the night, Gaga tweeted, “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”
Recently, Daily Mail reported that at the iHeart Music Festival in Las Vegas, Gaga dedicated the song ‘Hair’ to the late Jamey Rodemeyer as a tribute to raise awareness of the issue. “I just wanted to take a moment because we lost a little monster this week,” said Lady Gaga in Las Vegas, “Jamey, I know you’re looking down on us and you’re not a victim, you’re a lesson to all of us.‘‘
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