A petition launched by an American teenager aimed at overturning the recent decision by US censors to hand a high-profile anti-bullying documentary a prohibitive rating has gained more than 200,000 signatures.
High-school student Katy Butler, herself a victim of bullying, began gathering signatures just one week ago in response to the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) move to hand Lee Hirsch's film Bully an R rating, which means many of its target audience will not be able to see it. The film's distributor, Oscar-winning producer Harvey Weinstein, has also been vocal in his disapproval of the decision, threatening to boycott the MPAA's ratings process in protest.
Butler, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, is calling for the film to be given a PG rating, hand-delivering the signatures to the LA office of the MPAA today. Launching her Change.org online petition last month, she wrote: "Because of the R rating, most kids won't get to see this film. No one under 17 will be allowed to see the movie, and the film won't be allowed to be screened in American middle schools or high schools."
The MPAA's decision was made on the grounds of several uses of bad language during the film. There are said to be six instances of the word "fuck" being used in the documentary, which is due to open on 23 March in the US.
Weinstein and his brother Bob, co-owners of the Weinstein Company, used a high-school shooting in suburban Cleveland last month in which a student, who was allegedly the victim of bullying, shot dead three other teenagers, as evidence that Bully ought to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. "In light of the tragedy that occurred in Ohio, we feel now is the time for the bullying epidemic to take centre stage, we need to demand our community take action," they said in a statement.
Bully follows students from schools in Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Iowa and Oklahoma during the 2009 to 2010 school year, along with their families. A particular focus is on the deaths of Tyler Long and Ty Smalley, who killed themselves after being bullied.
Many of those who have signed the petition said they had experienced bullying themselves. "I wish I'd been able to see a film like this when I was in the eighth grade and being bullied," wrote Karen Howard in the comments section below Butler's petition. "It is important for kids who are bullied to understand that they're not alone. And it's important for the bullies to see how wrong and destructive bullying is – to everyone. It diminishes the bullies and endangers the victims. This film should be shown in all middle and high schools. It can save lives. Is Bully any worse than the video games the under 17 crowd play? Get real!"
