In New York, 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer died of an apparent suicide Sept. 19 after repeatedly asking people to help him with a problem involving bullying, according to BuffaloNews.com. On Sept. 9, he posted, “I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens. What do I have to do so people will listen to me?” Rodemeyer routinely blogged about bullying and thoughts of suicide alongside posts about his idol, Lady Gaga. On Sept. 8, he wrote, “No one in my school cares about preventing suicide, while you’re the ones calling me [gay slur] and tearing me down.”
Speaking of Rodemeyer, his parents appeared on CNN to attest that their son endured persistent bullying beginning in fifth grade, Advocate.com reported. Mother Tracey Rodemeyer told Anderson Cooper of Jamey, “He had the biggest heart in that little body. He was either loved so sincerely or he was bullied. There wasn’t much in between.” She added that most of the bullying her son encountered took place online on social-media websites, not in school.
Also, in the wake of Jamey Rodemeyer’s suicide, Lady Gaga has called for a meeting with President Obama in order to ultimately pass a law making bullying a hate crime, according to MTV.com. She tweeted, “The past days I’ve spent reflecting, crying, and yelling. … This must end. Our generation has the power to end it. Trend it #MakeALawForJamey.” A White House official could not confirm if Gaga had officially set up a meeting with the president.