Chaz Bono, Naya Rivera, Mario Lopez and
Kristin Chenoweth are some of the celebrities participating in a new
anti-gay bullying campaign.
In the Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation's (GLAAD) Amplify Your Voice! campaign,
celebrities and young people speak out against schoolyard bullying.
“After I came out, I remember being
on the playground and someone threw a ball right in my face,” Devin
says in one of the four 30-second ads debuting on Thursday.
“Millions of gay and transgender
youth are made to feel like they don't fit in every day,” former
NBA star Shaquille O'Neal says. (The video is embedded in the right
panel of this page.)
The campaign urges viewers to take a
stand against such bullying.
Also appearing in the PSAs are Ariel
Winter, the cast of Pretty Little Liars, Vinny Guadagnino, Sandra
Lee, Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott, Dustin Lance Black,
Rashida Jones and Amy Poehler.
The celebrities appearing in the PSAs
have also agreed to wear purple next Thursday in honor of Spirit Day,
a day set aside to remember gay teens who have been bullied to death.
“From Hollywood to corporate America,
it's clear that an overwhelming number of Americans today support
LGBT youth and believe that no one should be bullied for being who
they are,” said GLAAD acting president Mike Thompson in a
statement.
“On Spirit Day and with our new
Amplify Your Voice! campaign, some of the greatest Hollywood, news
and sports voices will be brought into America's living rooms,
reminding millions that no matter who you are, you have the power to
make a difference.”