Katy Butler will be recognized with a
special award later this month at the Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards in New York.
Butler is the 17-year-old Ann Arbor,
Michigan teen who is leading the protest against the Motion Picture
Association of America's (MPAA) decision to give the documentary film
Bully an R rating.
In the documentary, which is being
distributed by The Weinstein Company, viewers meet the victims of
bullies, including 12-year-old Alex from Sioux City, Iowa and
16-year-old Kelby from Tuttle, Oklahoma. Kelby's ordeal began after
she came out gay.
Oscar-winning producer Harvey Weinstein
will present Butler with a Special Recognition Award at the March 24
event.
“I am proud and honored to present
this award to Katy,” Weinstein said in a statement. “Her
commitment to this campaign and passion for taking action against
bullying is incredibly impressive.”
Last week, Butler delivered more than
200,000 signatures to MPAA officials from her Change.org
petition asking the group to lower the film's rating to PG-13 so that
younger students can watch the film.
Butler has said she became the victim
of bullying after she identified as a lesbian.
(Related: Glee:
Naya Rivera, Cory Monteith to host GLAAD Media Awards in New York.)