Seventeen year-old Katy Butler accepted a Special Recognition Award (presented by Weinstein Company Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein) at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York on March 24. Katy's Change.org campaign, which advocated that the 'R' rating of the documentary Bully be changed to 'PG-13,' garnered nearly half a million signatures. Just yesterday, the MPAA announced the rating would in fact be changed.
Watch Katy's remarks below:
Following its initial theatrical release as an unrated feature, Bully has been given a rating of PG-13 from the Motion Picture Association of America, which will allow children under 17 to buy a ticket without parental permission and for the documentary to be screened in schools as an educational tool.
GLAAD's spokesperson Herndon Graddick, said "This new PG-13 rating is a tremendous step forward for continuing the national conversation around bullying with the audience that needs to take part in it the most: our nation's youth. The MPAA did the right thing in granting the new rating and for recognizing Bully's real potential as a tool for sparking dialogue and creating positive change for better safety in our schools."
The 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York were hosted by Glee co-stars Cory Monteith and Naya Rivera, who, along with John Stamos, auctioned off kisses to three lucky attendees. Check out the video of the auction below.
For a complete list of winners, click here. Check out pictures of the event:
On April 21 Valerie Bertinelli, Ellen DeGeneres, Fran Drescher, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Hutcherson, Ali Larter, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, Gilles Marini, Molly Shannon, Kim Wayans and Betty White will voice their support for equality by attending the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. On June 2, another Glee star, Dianna Agron, will be taking center stage by hosting the GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco. For ticket information, click here.
The 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York were presented nationally by Ketel One and Wells Fargo, and presented locally in New York by Delta Air Lines and Prudential. Delta Air Lines is the local presenting partner in Los Angeles. Southwest is the local presenting partner of San Francisco.
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