My Story

When I was in middle school I was bullied for being gay. I trusted my best friend with this incredibly important secret but she immediately told what felt like everyone else in our class. I was the only gay person in our school and kids called me names, refused to be my partner in class, and the people I thought were my friends stopped talking to me altogether. Little did I know, that sharing my story would impact millions of people, lead to national campaigns, and help change the landscape of bullying in our country.

Eventually, I found an LGBTQ group in a neighboring town and I started to make new friends in a place where I felt welcomed and like I belonged. With this new group of friends, I started getting involved with my community to talk to teachers, parents, administrators, and other students about what it meant to be a part of the LGBTQ community, what it felt like to be bullied, and how they could help. After sharing my story in schools, speaking with the local school board, and asking for zero-tolerance policies in our schools we went to our state capital to advocate for a state-wide anti-bullying bill.
I was really excited that there was an anti-bullying bill sitting in Michigan’s House but it had language that would protect the bully instead of kids who were being bullied. It said no bullying “unless you had a strong religious or moral conviction”. It was essentially a license to bully. My friends and I went to the capital to lobby for an inclusive anti-bullying bill with strong reporting requirements. We shared our stories, research on the impact a strong anti-bullying law can have, and the signatures of 20,000+ people from our online petition and lawmakers removed the offensive language and Matt’s Safe School Law was signed into law in 2012.
I fell in love with activism and was in awe of the power of collective organizing. In March 2012 I saw there was a new film coming out called “Bully”. It followed the stories of five kids who had been bullied and their families. “Bully” had so much potential to help start conversations about bullying in schools and households around the country but it was rated R for language which meant it couldn’t be shown in schools. In the film, a few kids used the "F word" three times to bully others, but according to the Motion Picture Association of America, a PG-13 rating only allows the word to be used once. I knew this film could be a pillar for social change around our national bullying epidemic so I started a petition on change.org asking the Motion Picture Association of America. My petition got half a million signatures and support from celebrities like Demi Lavato, Meryl Street, and Justin Bieber. I shared my story on national news outlets around the country and spoke about the importance of starting conversations about bullying in schools. Eventually, the MPAA lowered the rating to PG-13, and now over 10 million kids have seen the film and are moving us towards safer, more inclusive schools for all.
13 million students are bullied every in America. My story, while my own experience, is not unique, it is something so many other kids have felt. Now, we get to use that connection as our power to make lasting changes in policy and in culture.

Mission

Katy’s mission is to drive policy and cultural change that builds a safer, more inclusive future for all. She works to elevate young people, collaborate with leaders, and partner with organizations, to help them create a positive impact in their communities though strategic digital communications. She is committed to using her expertise to support causes that promote social justice, sustainability, and civic engagement.

She works to elevate young people, collaborate with leaders, and partner with organizations, to help them create a positive impact in their communities though strategic digital communications. She is committed to using her expertise to support causes that promote social justice, sustainability, and civic engagement.

Experience

Katy Butler is a renowned digital activist with a strong background in campaigns communications and digital strategy. Her journey is marked by her dedication to advocacy, personal connection to her work in LGBTQ+, anti-bullying, civic engagement, and climate activism, and her ability to harness the power of digital media to foster engagement and drive change.

She has worked with several prestigious organizations, leveraging her skills to create impactful digital campaigns and strategies. Katy has collaborated with a diverse array of nonprofits, social campaigns, and advocacy projects. Her work includes partnerships with organizations such as GLAAD, The Bully Project, United States House of Representatives, Congressman Honda (CA-17), The Andrew Goodman Foundation, and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, among many others. She has dedicated her efforts to key issues such as anti-bullying, LGBTQ+ rights, civic engagement, mental health, and climate change.

Katy holds a dual BA in Women's Studies and Sociology and a Master's in Education with a focus on diversity and equity, further enriching her advocacy and strategic approach to creating inclusive and impactful social change. Her work focuses on digital campaigns for targeted persuasion centered on voting behavior, values assessment, and climate opinion. Now, as a mother to her young daughter, Katy's unwavering passion to be a catalyst for transformative change and build a brighter future for everyone has surged with unstoppable force.

Contact Katy

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“I am a force of nature, and I will not be tamed by anyone or anything. I will continue to rise and shine, no matter what challenges come my way”

-Katharine Hepburn

Anti-bullying Policy

She actively collaborated with local school boards to develop and implement education policies that create safer and more inclusive environments for all students. At the state level, she played a pivotal role in lobbying for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ friendly language in Michigan's anti-bullying bill, ensuring that the legislation provided comprehensive protection for LGBTQ+ students. On a national scale, she contributed significantly to the development and advocacy of two key anti-bullying policies: the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the National Anti-Bullying State Regulation Bill. Her efforts in these areas involved extensive research, strategic planning, and coalition-building to promote legislative change and foster supportive educational environments across the country.

Culture Change

In 2012, a powerful documentary called Bully was set to be released. The film intimately followed the stories of five children who endured relentless bullying. However, the movie faced a significant hurdle: the frequent use of the "F-word" by the bullies led to an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), restricting its accessibility to the very audience it sought to empower.

Katy Butler recognized the film's potential to ignite crucial conversations about bullying among students, teachers, administrators, and parents, potentially altering the lives of over a million bullied children in America each year. Determined to make the film accessible to a wider audience, Katy launched a petition on Change.org, urging the MPAA to change the rating from R to PG-13. Her petition struck a chord, amassing over half a million signatures. Katy embarked on a nationwide tour, passionately advocating for anti-bullying policies and programs, emphasizing the film's importance.

Her campaign garnered support from thousands who shared their personal stories, as well as endorsements from celebrities like Demi Lovato and Meryl Streep. The combined efforts culminated in a pivotal meeting with the MPAA, leading to the film's rating being lowered to PG-13. As a result, more than 10 million children have since viewed Bully, fostering a national movement towards creating safe and inclusive schools for everyone.