GLAAD Honors Teen Who Launched Petition

Katy Butler, the Michigan high school student who started an online petition to change the R rating of the documentary Bully, will be honored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation later this month.

The 17-year-old, who identifies as lesbian, will receive a special recognition award to be presented by Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of the Weinstein Company, which will distribute the powerful documentary which will be released theatrically March 30. The 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards will take place at the Marriott Marquis in New York City March 24.

"I am proud and honored to present this Award to Katy," Weinstein says in a statement. "Her commitment to this campaign and passion for taking action against bullying is incredibly impressive."

Butler delivered her more than 200,000 signatures on her Change.org petition to the Los Angeles office of the Motion Picture Association of America last week. She's garnered national attention, including acknowledgment from Ellen DeGeneres on her daytime talk show, for her effort to overturn the restrictive rating on the film and allow it to be seen by younger people.

For more information on the GLAAD Media Awards, go here.