Celebrities including Meryl Streep, Justin Bieber, Johnny Depp, Ellen DeGeneres (see video above), Demi Lovato, New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees and others, have lent their support to the upcoming anti-bullying documentary “Bully,” which has been at the center of a viral online petition campaign after the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) gave the film an “R” rating.
Katy Butler, a bullied Michigan high school student, started the petition campaign on Change.org to urge the MPAA to drop its “R” rating of “Bully,” and instead give the movie a “PG-13” rating, so that middle school and high school students would be able to see the movie. Butler’s petition has drawn more than 290,000 supporters, as well as the support of a bipartisan group of 26 Members of Congress, led by Rep. Mike Honda, who are urging the MPAA to change “Bully’s” rating from “R” to “PG-13.”
Butler’s campaign has also drawn the support of Gerry Lopez, CEO of AMC Theaters, one of the most prominent theater chains in the world. Lopez signed Butler’s petition, and issued a statement saying that giving “Bully” an “R” rating is a mistake.
“We’ve got the MPAA’s attention, and with nearly 300,000 signatures and support from celebrities and politicians, there’s now a national movement of people calling on the MPAA to drop the ‘R’ rating for ‘Bully,’” Butler said. “As someone who lived through bullying day in and day out in school, including having my finger broken by bullies, this film is too important to silence with an ‘R’ rating. Everyone should have a chance to see ‘Bully.’”
Butler continues to keep pressure on the MPAA to change the “R” rating for “Bully,” saying that a “PG-13” rating will allow those who need to see the movie the most, including middle school and high school students who are bullied, the chance to see a film that could potentially save their lives. Last week Butler delivered more than 200,000 signatures on her Change.org petition to the MPAA’s office in Los Angeles, and held a 15-minute meeting with Joan Graves, the MPAA’s Head of Classification and Ratings Division.
In the last week, Butler has appeared on NBC Nightly News, CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC, raising awareness about her campaign to get the MPAA to drop its “R” rating of “Bully.” This Thursday and Friday (March 15-16, 2012), Butler will travel to Washington, DC, to continue to spread the word about her campaign as well as Rep. Honda’s congressional sign-on letter.
Celebrity support for Butler’s campaign so far has included tweets from Ellen DeGeneres, pop star Demi Lovato, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and actor Avan Tudor Jogia. Meanwhile, celebrities including Johnny Depp, Justin Bieber, Anderson Cooper, Kelly Ripa, and Tommy Hilfiger have thrown their support behind “Bully,” with actress Meryl Streep co-hosting a screening of the film with David Boies, one of the two attorneys responsible for overturning Proposition 8 in California, in New York City on March 20.
Check out the live signature totals from Katy Butler’s campaign (and comments from signers) – http://www.change.org/bully
For more information on Change.org, please visit http://www.change.org/about
