As many know, I’ve never seen a Harry Potter film. I don’t really care – it’s not my thing. But over time, I have grown to love and adore Daniel Radcliffe solely based on how he comes across in interviews. He’s very smart, very funny, and very liberal politically. He’s engaged in politics and political issues, and he’s made gay rights one of his main public causes. Dan – who identifies himself as straight, and I believe it – is one of the biggest straight advocates for gay rights out there. He’s more than comfortable talking about his gay friends, being interviewed by drag queens, and how tolerance and acceptance should be a given. Over the past few years, Dan began working with The Trevor Project, an American initiative to offer support to homeless gay teens, and suicide prevention education amongst young, gay men and women.
So in the wake of a series of news stories about gay-bashing, hate crimes and gay suicide (like the incident of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide), Daniel has taken this opportunity to lend his voice again to gay suicide prevention.
When Tyler Clementi leapt from a bridge after his roommate posted a video of his tryst with another man online, and 13-year-old Seth Walsh hung himself after enduring relentless anti-gay taunts, their actions not only resulted in tragic deaths, they helped to serve as a wake-up call that LGBT discrimination, especially among young people, is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
Clementi and Walsh are just two of many gay teens who have recently committed suicide, and the wave of deaths has prompted high-profile names to speak out against anti-gay harassment and sparked grassroots efforts to curb intolerance.
“Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe is among many around the world saddened by the number of gay youth who felt the need to take their own lives rather than continue to deal with abuse from their peers. In an exclusive statement to MTV News, Radcliffe lamented the tragic loss of life and called for greater support for those who are struggling.
“Learning about the suicide deaths of Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Asher Walker, Billy Lucas and Justin Aaberg has been heartbreaking for me. These young people were bullied and tormented by people that should have been their friends,” Radcliffe said. “We have a responsibility to be better to each other, and accept each others’ differences regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ability, or religion and stand up for someone when they’re bullied.”
Radcliffe also urged people to reach out if they believe a pal may be considering suicide.
“When a friend is feeling depressed or says they’re thinking of killing themselves, we must take it seriously and get them help,” Radcliffe continued, before directing young people to the website of the Trevor Project, an organization he has championed that provides support for LGBT youth and runs a 24-hour crisis-prevention hotline.
“My deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of these excellent young people. And to all the young people who are being bullied right now, you are not alone. Call the Trevor Lifeline at 866 4-U-TREVOR, because there’s always someone there who will listen and who can help.”
The Trevor Project is also a supporting partner of MTV, the Jed Foundation and actress Brittany Snow’s new Love Is Louder initiative. Love Is Louder — which is also supported by DoSomething.org, Reach Out, Active Minds and the Ad Council — strives to encourage young people and relay messages of love and hope to those who feel they have nowhere else to turn.
[From MTV]
Dan isn’t the only speaking out – gay celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris and Ellen Degeneres, and columnist Dan Savage have already spoken out as well. But Dan’s one of the few straight celebrities speaking out, and I hope that more join him. This isn’t an issue where just the gay celebrities should be putting their two cents in – I think part of the reason hate crimes are committed is because the perpetrators believe that people agree with them, especially younger kids who think beating up or bashing gay kids is somehow “funny” or “acceptable” – straight people lending their voice in support of gay rights is so important, and bless Daniel Radcliffe for his continuing support. Go here for The Trevor Project’s donation page.
Here’s the video message from columnist Dan Savage and his husband:
He is so cute. I just love him. Of course, I feel much better saying this now than when the Harry Potter movies first started and he was, like, 10. Ha.
I think I will love him for the rest of my life. Not just because he’s Harry Potter but because he’s a straight man standing up for gay rights.
All this hatred has to stop. It’s so sad that young people cannot see how sad it is to watch when these kinds of things happen. If someone is gay, let it be, encourage them to find themselves. To be condemned and treated unfairly is so superficial and childish. I also think that there should be rights for gay people. Stop the bullying! Stop the killing!
Last night there were several actors on Larry King discussing gay suicide also, and apparantley Margaret Cho talked about it on Dancing with the Stars . My props to Daniel and all the others who regardless of their sexual orientation feel called to discuss this issue. I hope it can help to bring awareness and prevent any more tragedies.
I think he’s a good egg.
His passion and intellect has always earned him a place in my heart. I just love him. I really glad he and others have spoken out against bullying.
That thing with the Rutgers student was just such a violation of privacy, and it really angered me. How can you do that to someone? How can you do that to your roommate? I am lucky I had such a good college roommate. I wish that kid had gotten help instead of the option he took, I really wish he had just really thought, I hate to see lives so young snuffed out. It kills me that in this day and age people are afraid to be out and proud. You can do it. Don’t be scared and no one has the right to bully you for it. You just have to be strong and know your not alone. Be a fighter. Totally broke my heart and I love seeing people like Daniel take such a strong stance.
Until this suicide story, I had forgotten that there are people out there that still care about someone’s sexual orientation. Its as stupid as caring about the color of a person’s skin. I thought we’d evolved more as a species….
I think these kinds of messages are SO important from both homosexual and heterosexual celebrities. More than that, I think each one of us should make it a priority to spread messages of love and acceptance in our everyday lives! Talk to your children, correct your friends when they make a careless joke, reach out to someone who may need help, and be an example!!! We all have a role to play in making our world a better place.
love him, esp bc of his stance on gay rights!
I’m confused: “Dan’s one of the few straight celebrities speaking out”/”here’s a video of Dan and his husband”… did you accidentally type his name instead of a straight celebrity who’s also joined the cause (it would be great if there were one besides Daniel), or was this just an oversight? In any case, I hope more and more people begin to speak out against this horribly outdated and cruel hatred against gay teens. The suicides were absolutely tragic, but they don’t have to be senseless. They can help to save countless lives.
Brittany – The second video is of columnist DAN SAVAGE and his husband. Just like I wrote.
Kathy Griffin also works with the Trevor Project and posted a message on her facebook page last night. It is great to see so many celebrities and journalists taking this seriously.
Brittney:
October 5th, 2010 at 11:18 am
I’m confused: “Dan’s one of the few straight celebrities speaking out”/”here’s a video of Dan and his husband”
The Dan in “Dan and his husband” is Dan Savage, of the video posted. The straight Dan is Daniel Radcliffe.
ITA Kaiser, the more straight celebrities that speak up on this issue, maybe the more the message will get through that it’s just not okay. It’s wonderful when ANY public figure speaks out on an issue so important but if it’s not just gay celebs speaking, it becomes harder for the bullies and the homophobes to ignore.
Love Daniel Radcliffe just for his willingness, even at this crucial transitional stage in his career, to stick his neck out and say what he thinks.
I to hope more celebs will take up the cause like Daniel does. It is so awful that bullying like this still exists.
so needed…especially when we have elected officials (Sen. Jim DeMint of SC) saying things like gay teachers (and unwed mothers…) shouldn’t be allowed to teach in public schools.
please note, unwed FATHERS are not mentioned.
GO DANRAD!!!
@Praise: Maybe we are slowly evolving. I remember when I was a little girl when married teachers who became pregnant had to stop teaching the minute they started to show. Might be too traumatic to the little ones, yanno? Like none of those little ones had baby brothers or sisters at home.
I love Dan Rad!
He seems like such a good, leveheaded kid. I would love to work on a set with him someday.
Oh my dear Radcliffe, this only makes me want you more!
I’ve never been interested in him asa an actor, but I’m so much impressed by the interviews.
Love him and always will. Amazing!
This is so awesome. Daniel seems to really understand the deeper issue and importance of acceptance of homosexuality in the PREVENTION of suicide. This is something that most people don’t understand—especially educators in public schools, who are HOMOPHOBES, cloaked in liberal progressive language. Kids are suffering. Kids are dying. Because we in America are still homophobes.
Thank you Daniel Radcliffe for pointing this out.
Oh I love him so much, more celebrities should talk about this. He’s just awesome.
As a gay man, I find these stories absolutely heartbreaking. I was relentlessly bullied when i was in High School, so I know what this is like. It’s no fun being the different kid in the rural midwest in the late 70’s-early 80’s. If any gay kids read this blog, please know that it gets better. The kids you are around in High School mean nothing in your overall life. Nothing. I love to see all the support from celebs and applaud them for speaking out.
And finally if you are feeling suicidal please talk to your friends or family, you will be surprised the support you will receive in most cases. If you can’t talk to anyone get in touch with the Trevor Project. Remember that anything you are feeling now is temporary and no one’s life is perfect but there are good times coming and things will get better and be strong. 🙂
I wish we could just teach our children (and society as a whole) to love and respect each other. Period. Not if you’re gay/straight/black/white/male/female. We’re all human, why can’t we treat each other with dignity?
And Poster 24 (sorry, your screen name is blurred into the number)I tell people the same thing. High school was a miserable time for me (I wasn’t one of the cool people in a school full of cool people) Those people don’t matter inthe long run. But it’s so hard to realize that at the time.
The story of that college student who killed himself just broke my heart. Poor, poor guy guy must have been devastated to take that action.
@Ron: if it was bad growing up gay in the midwest in the 1970s, can you imagine what it was like in Mississippi in the 1960s? A gay friend of mine went through so much hell that he just quit, took and passed a GED and enrolled in college at 16. Not that college was a walk on the beach for him but it was way better than high school.
Bullying is not going to stop until the schools come down on it hard with a zero tolerance policy. Bully anyone and you’re out. No exceptions. The problem is the schools act like it’s the bullied kids’ fault, because they “refuse” to fit in with everybody else.
What I love about the Dan Savage project is that he’s acknowledged that his (and my) generation grew up and got the heck out of whatever small, phobic town we were born into, and fled to the city. We all have nice lives in urban areas where homosexuality isn’t an issue. But look what is happening to the children in the places we left behind. There is so much talk about bullying these days, I feel like we’ve finally hit upon some way to take action. All kids need to hear that “it gets better,” – the kids doing the bullying are doing so out of some hidden shame or insecurity.
I love this guy more and more e’ery time I read about him!
Yesterday here in Puyallup, Washington, there was a big to-do o’er a questionnaire sent home with middle school students because it asked their sexual orientation. (It was to be returned anonymously.) Parents went ballistic. These close-minded, teabagging zealots did not e’en seem to read anything else because otherwise they would have seen that there were also questions about how safe and comfortable the kids felt at school and it was clearly to determine if there was bullying happening. (There were also race and age questions.)
As a Chinese kid who got beat up daily in elementary school for doing nothing other than having “slanty-eyes,” I wish they would have done something like this when I went. Going to the principal to complain just got me beat up more. Oh and ironically, about 10 minutes after the news bit about the middle school and how horrible that was, they showed the Dan Savage PSA and said how wonderful it was. Pander much?
AND… great words Ron (#24)! It’s hard to imagine it at the time but things do get better!
This is a tough issue, as much as people want the schools to crack down on bullys and bigots, as well they should, it really needs to start at home. No child is born a bigot, that is a learned behaviour. When a dog bites a person the pet owner is held accountable because they were not (in many cases, not all) responsible about safety and training, if a child is a bigot and a bully thus causing harm to another being it seems that perhaps (in many cases, not all) the parents should be held accountable as well. This is totally just my opinion so please forgive me, but it seems to me that if we expect people to be responsible for the behaviour of their animals it seems that at the very least we should put upon them the same basic expectations for raising a child. There are, of course, exceptions to the rules but overall bigots and bullys are not bred but raised, or perhaps a better word is allowed, to be that way.
@TaylorB (#29):
I agree 100%! Sadly, this IS becoming a school issue because parents are failing so miserably at teaching acceptance and tolerance.
The story I posted above (#28) dealt with some “Challenge Day” stuff that the school was doing and it sounded like a programme that would help teach tolerance, acceptance, self-worth, etc. but the parents are bitching and moaning o’er some sexual orientation questions so (I think) the programme was cancelled. IMO, the parents are scared that once their kids learn the truth, they will see what pieces of crap their parents are and that it was them (the parents) who taught them hate and bigotry in the first place.
When my mother finally went to one of my bully’s (sp?) houses to talk to his parents, the father said stuff to MY MOM that I still have ne’er repeated out loud! (P.S. When I saw the boy years later, he apologised pretty sincerely for e’erything and I whole-heartedly accepted!)
I’ve always loved him. What a good little potato, appealing to those who have grown up with him.
I would like to adopt this kid as my grandson, Hes cute, kind and <<>>cleans Voldemorts clock.
You go kid.
“We have a responsibility to be better to each other, and accept each others’ differences regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ability, or religion and stand up for someone when they’re bullied.”
THIS.
Kids committing suicide just hurts so much. The story of Tyler Clementi broke my heart. Damn, I just want to be a ‘lioness’ and stand between these cubs and their tormentors, then hold them & tell them that it’s all ok, that they’re loved, and that they’re worthy.
/Rant.
Note to self: seek an organisation in Ottawa that I can lend my time to.
Good for you Daniel. Excellent.
*applause* for TaylorB…well said, and I totally agree.
MaryJane,
I read about the school issue you brought up. You are so right. And sadly any parent who actually thinks their 12+ year old child shouldn’t be educated about sexuality and safe sexual practices is going to be a grandparent sooner than they expected.
good for him. gay people need to hear this to try to counter act all the hateful garbage being spewed.