Last November, it was announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were keen and energized about the issues of cyberbullying and mental health. While they did a handful of appearances around their keen-ness for mental health issues, much of what happened around the issue of cyberbullying was a lot of “this is what we’re going to do at some point.” Also, Kate sort of dropped out of the issue and now William is just focused on cyberbullying and he’s getting the credit for “convening an industry-led taskforce” on the issue that the industry has already been working on for years. While I hoped for the best, I had concerns about just how empathetic William would be, and whether he would end up taking credit for work being done at different levels.
But this is a good step for William: he covers the new issue of Attitude magazine, which is an LGBT-centered magazine in the UK, much like the American magazines Out or The Advocate. William totally says the right things in his interview too. For the most part.
William says: “No one should be bullied for their sexuality. The young gay, lesbian and transgender individuals I met through Attitude are truly brave to speak out and to give hope to people who are going through terrible bullying right now. Their sense of strength and optimism should give us all encouragement to stand up to bullying wherever we see it. What I would say to any young person reading this who’s being bullied for their sexuality: don’t put up with it. You should be proud of the person you are and you have nothing to be ashamed of.”
William had invited the magazine to bring members of the LGBT community to Kensington Palace in May to listen to their experience of bullying and the mental health affects it can have. During the meeting, the group spoke with William about how bullying over their sexuality had led to low self-esteem, suicide attempts, eating disorders, depression and drug addiction.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: ‘The Duke of Cambridge is working hard to support the fight against bullying and to help break the stigma around mental health. He has established a taskforce on the prevention of cyberbullying and along with The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry is leading the Heads Together campaign on mental health and well-being. He knows that LGBT young people suffer unacceptably high rates of bullying and he was grateful to Attitude for facilitating such a serious conversation on this topic. He was moved by the stories he heard and impressed by the positivity and courage of the people he met.’
I don’t want to shrug off or negate the power, to LGBT youth, of Prince William standing up on their behalf and saying that they are who they are, that they should love and respect themselves just as they are, that no one deserves to be bullied. That’s an important message and I’m happy that William is here, putting his face on that message. But! I take issue with this: “What I would say to any young person reading this who’s being bullied for their sexuality: don’t put up with it.” That’s putting the onus on the victim to stop being victimized. As opposed to squarely telling cyberbullies “stop bullying and stop victimizing or you will be punished.” It’s like saying “Are you a victim of abuse? Don’t put up with it!”
HRH met a group of young LGBT people convened by @AttitudeMag to discuss bullying at Kensington Palace in May 2016 pic.twitter.com/V6XLWQJbNB
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 15, 2016
Photos courtesy of WENN, Attitude.
Wow, he looks really cute in that picture. I agree about putting responsibility on the bully but one could also read his words to mean “don’t let them make you feel you deserve it.”
I agree. I know I fault him with alot of the things he says but that was my line of thinking with that quote.
“What I would say to any young person reading this who’s being bullied for their sexuality: don’t put up with it – speak to a trusted adult, a friend, a teacher, Childline, Diana Award or some other service and get the help you need.”
The above is what he actually said in the interview.
Thanks @ella09 for pointing that out – the additional info at the end put his comments in the right context.
Um, correction please CB!
Yeah, I read it that way too. And it’s funny, my son is taking health class this summer and yesterday they had to make an anti-bullying/cyberbullying poster. As he described his message to me, it was all about standing up for yourself. I asked him something like what about the people who can’t or have a hard time standing up for themselves? He said that he included a message about going to a trusted adult or friend. But he reiterated that it was important to stand up or the bullies win. A different approach…worth thinking about.
ESMOM, but standing up isn’t always safe. Bullies tend to travel in packs. Not sure I agree with your son’s school.
I agree. I think this is a positive thing, though perhaps could have been worded a little better, which is so easy to say after the fact.
I agree, that’s how I took it as well. It’s okay to say both and based on the title of this article, he did say both. “no one should be bullied for their sexuality” is putting the onus on the bully, and “don’t put up with it” says know what you don’t deserve to be bullied just because you’re “different”.
Agreed! I’m going to look for a positive meaning here because this magazine cover is so powerful and poignant right now. Nothing but smiles, snaps, and applause over here. 🙂
I ain’t sorry to admit that I would hit it. no really. I know he’s not popular around here but I’ve always found him hot
I think he’s hot too. I’d bang him. But that picture! Literally, all I can see is his big fake front tooth! ICYMI, he knocked his tooth out stumbling around drunkenly at someone’s wedding. Cause our boy is classy like that.
A- that fake front tooth is all i see.
B- the next tooth along also looks fake
C- amazing how little was made of this incident when it happened only 2yrs ago, AND it involves a young royal getting so plastered they knock their front tooth out. Imagine same incident, but involving either Harry or B or E and the media finding out. They would be slaughtered.
I was about to ask which tooth it was, and then I scrolled up to check and — never mind, it’s really obvious. Any of the other royal grandchildren really would have been roasted over that. I wish they’d hold precious William’s feet to the fire.
#GayMediaSoWhite
I am so sick and tired of LGBT magazines like Attitude,The Advocate,Out,etc putting more Heterosexual White Males on their covers than LGBT people of color.
I agree the topic and interviews should intersect more, I can understand why Will is the cover. This is a big get for the mag and a historic one. This will go beyond the citizens in the UK.
Totally agree Tiffany – William is a huge get for this magazine. This will bring name recognition for a lot of people – I had never even heard of the Attitude before. I also think it’s important to show LGBT community that they have allies in people who aren’t part of the community.
It’s not about William,it’s about the fact that more than fifty percent of the people on a gay magazine’s covers are straight white men.I would be equally outraged if half the people on Ebony magazine covers were White or half the people on Glamour magazine covers were Men.
Although I sympathise and agree generally, not in this case.
This is the first time a member of the BRF has covered a mainstream gay publication in the UK. So it is significant for its own reason.
because at the end of the day….. the media and society like to try to project this multitude of diversity/openness to be synonymous with white only….. check it out in areas of exposure —- LGBT (WHITE only), disability (WHITE only), Feminism (WHITE only), mental illness (WHITE only) etc etc… its unfortunate and tells the world of POCs who are and/or dealing with these things or issues that hey…. YOURE JUST BLACK or LATINO or MIDDLE EASTERN etc…that’s it….. we are perpetually seen as just a monolith…. so yeah this cover just further kinda pushes that….
maybe it’ll stop in 2100 lol when we ALL look alike
“But! I take issue with this: “What I would say to any young person reading this who’s being bullied for their sexuality: don’t put up with it.” That’s putting the onus on the victim to stop being victimized. As opposed to squarely telling cyberbullies “stop bullying and stop victimizing or you will be punished.” It’s like saying “Are you a victim of abuse? Don’t put up with it!””
Kaiser, I think he’s putting it in the context of his own experience, which is why he doesn’t “get it”. He believes in his little entitled heart he is BULLIED by the press, critics, and people who think he should get off his ass and do 600 royal engagements a year. His stance on that is: attack the press, prevent them from doing their jobs, and bully them.
Denying Tanna a permit for Kensington? Putting people out of work at a magazine because he and his wife were caught lying to the Paraolymians? Ditto his wife and her proven-false allegations of bullying at school, then she turned around and went after the Yorks. The upper class kids don’t like you and your wisteria ways? They aren’t bullying you, they just aren’t befriending you. Talk about a pair of bullies.
He doesn’t understand what it is to be bullied, hence his inappropriate comment.
I concur.
This is an overall positive but of course, it’s Normal Bill. Has to be some narcissism in there somewhere. Still a good move and a positive, however.
I see the bullying theme has raised its ugly head again. That’s Willy’s shtick. It’s not the gay issue, but the bullying issue of which Willy has no clue except to feel like a victim. All. The. Time.
These ops are a way for him to whine some more. And offer nothing of substance. What an opportunistic, self-deceiving, mendacious pill.
I haven’t had many nice words for William lately, but I have to give credit where it’s due. This is a very nice move for him to be a part of this cover and align himself with the LGBT community. When was the last time he posed for a magazine cover? I can’t remember. Great cover picture too. I think he looks quite handsome.
He. Does. Not. Look. Hot.
Because I am a blue meanie, I think it’s funny that he covers a gay magazine a good decade after whatever looks he once had, had faded.
THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SHIRTLESS HARRY.
He’s one of the bullying triumvirate, right? Was the threesome for bullying? Or was it mental health? I can’t remember. Either way, Attitude should have given us Harry. I don’t find him hot either, but you guys do, and I can see a case could be made. Normal Bill has already retreated into the horsey Windsor shallow gene pool. Not hot.
I agree not hot, but tbh both of them has the horsey balding windsor gene
As has has Hiddleston the darling of this site, so of course everyone will find Harry hot here
It seems like as long as you’re a posh white english boy you will be alright amongst readership of this site.
Kudos to him for doing this though! I don’t follow the royals so i don’t know why he is so hated, but i think this is quite a big deal for the LGBT community.
“It seems like as long as you’re a posh white english boy you will be alright amongst readership of this site.”
It’s not just on this site. It’s on the Internet a large and maybe even the world at large, to a certain degree. God only knows why-I’ve made no secret of the fact that Hiddleston’s appeal is totally lost on me.
I think Bill’s comments are being misinterpreted. He is saying don’t feel you have to suffer discrimination/bullying in silence, or just accept it as part of your life. He is NOT saying it’s your fault for being bullied.
Very nice.
I’m a member of the LGBT community and I agree with what he’s saying. We DO need to stand up for our rights, and we ALL (LGBT & Allies) need to speak up when we see bullying or discriminatory behavior.
That’s not victim blaming or shaming, that’s saying “We are strong, we will fight, and we will never let hate win out over love.”
Obviously a great message for the LGBT community in the wake of Orlando. But the timing is super suspect, he never came out in support of the LGBT community until he was under fire this year for being lazy and now he’s doing this. I wish I could believe he was sincere but the royal PR machine has been in hyperdrive trying to do damage control left and right to distract people from his work record.
Re: The timing – Obviously the interviews, the meeting with members of the LGBT community took place long before the Orlando Massacre.
In my own opinion, posters here are extremely hard on William regarding his supposed “lack of sufficient work on behalf of the Monarchy”. Does anyone really think that if his grandmother wanted him to be doing more offical public appearances that he would not be doing more official public appearances?
I do not have statistics to back it up, but my recollection is that his father at about the same age William is now was not making all that many official public appearances. And Charles was the next-in-line to the throne, which William is NOT at this time.
It is wonderful that William has chosen to do this. It will have wide impact. He deserves to be applauded for speaking out.
That recollection is incorrect. By Williams age, Charles was doing over five times as many royal engagements. The public appearances of the royals are well documented. It’s shocking that his 95 year old grandfather does over three times as many engagements a year as he does. Frankly, I don’t think the public is hard enough on him. If royal duties are what affords his lifestyle, he has a responsibility to the public to do those duties.
Both Charles and Diana did far more work, from day one, than W&K. And by William’s age, The Prince’s Trust was already 6 years old and growing by leaps and bounds (Charles founded it at 28).
The heir-to-the-heir argument doesn’t hold water. Most of the other royals are further down the line of succession, taking fewer perks, and doing far more work. Most of them are pensioners, several with significant health problems.
Members of the family have stated, many times, that royals set their own schedules. HM let’s you make your own mistakes until you realize what an idiot you’ve been. That doesn’t mean HM approves of their laziness, merely that she’s doing her ostrich impression and hoping they’re taking the bad PR to heart. Or at 90 she’s damn tired and worrying about her ailing 95 year old husband who does more work than his 34 year old grandson.
I. Was nice??!
I canz make comments nowz?
Awwww!! 😍