Jamey Rodemeyer Suicide: Lady Gaga Pays Tribute to Bullying Victim
ABC News’ Olivia Katrandjian reports:
Singer Lady Gaga paid tribute to Jamey Rodemeyer, the 14-year-old student who took his own life after years of bullying at the iHeartRadio Festival this weekend in Las Vegas.
Lady Gaga dedicated her song “Hair” to Rodemeyer.
“I wrote this record about how your identity is really all you’ve got when you’re in school … so tonight, Jamey, I know you’re up there looking at us, and you’re not a victim” the singer said before performing the song Saturday, the New York Daily News reported.
Earlier, the pop singer who Jamey idolized, spoke out about the situation via twitter: “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.”
She added, “Bullying must become illegal. It is a hate crime.”
“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,” the singer posted to twitter.
On Saturday morning, hundreds gathered at the St. Peter and Paul church in Williamsville, N.Y. Rodemeyer’s funeral.
“Why him? And why are kids so mean to him? Just because of his sexual orientation. And it’s not fair,” said Cheyenne Phillips, one of Jamey’s friends, according to ABC News affiliate WKBW.
The teen’s parents and friends say he was relentlessly tormented by hate comments with gay references on social networking websites.
“JAMIE IS STUPID, GAY, FAT ANND [sic] UGLY. HE MUST DIE!” one post said, according to local reports.
Another post read, “I wouldn’t care if you died. No one would. So just do it It would make everyone WAY more happier!”
For months, Jamey blogged about being bullied and thoughts of suicide.
Jamey posted on his Facebook page, “I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens. …What do I have to do so people will listen to me?”
“No one in my school cares about preventing suicide, while you’re the ones calling me [gay slur] and tearing me down,” he wrote.
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