Standing together against bullying can be expressed with a simple yet powerful hashtag…#Upstanders. With various awareness campaigns and the countless hours of volunteer work to help inform others about the harmful and often devastating effects of bullying, we are still battling this epidemic in our society. Acts of bullying are committed in schools, teams, workplaces, faith-communities and on-line.

This September will mark 8 years since the death of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, a talented violinist beginning his Freshman year at the university playing for the institution’s graduate level orchestra. In the summer of 2010 after high school graduation, Tyler began the mindful journey of coming out to his close friends and family only for his disclosure to be used as a weapon, which ultimately led to his death. Within weeks of his Freshman year, Tyler became the victim of cyber-harassment when his dorm mate Dharun Ravi secretly recorded Tyler in an intimate act for other students to view online. Now the object of ridicule and humiliation, Tyler desperately ended his life by jumping off the George Washington Bridge several days later.

Tyler’s legacy is for us to pledge we will treat others with dignity and respect regardless of age, race, nationality, faith, gender identity, sexual orientation or cultural identity. A host of Broadway Stars have organized the 8th Annual Concert Event, Revolution! Broadway Sings for Pride on June 18th at Manhattan’s Cutting Room with proceeds going to the anti-bullying non-profit, The Tyler Clementi Foundation. Talent for the event includes:

  • Matt Doyle (Spring Awakening/The Book of Mormon)
  • Frankie J. Grande (Cruel Intentions/Rock of Ages)
  • Ellyn Marie Marsh (Kinky Boots)
  • Russell Fischer (Jersey Boys)
  • Rebecca Larkin (South Pacific)
  • Eric Anthony Lopez (The Phantom of the Opera)
  • The cast of Off-Broadway’s Afterglow
  • Desmond Is Amazing (10-year old activist and drag performer)
  • Project Runway’s Sam Donovan
  • Daniel Errico (children’s book author)
  • Adam B Shapiro (The Normal Heart)
  • Broadway Records’ Robbie Rozelle, Shefik, Lindsay Cherin and Tym Moss.

For tickets and event details, click BroadwaySingsForPride.com. To learn more about bullying and becoming an Upstander, click https://tylerclementi.org/.

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