Hilary Duff was interviewed by CNN recently about the ThinkB4YouSpeak campaign which encourages kids not to casually call things “gay”.

Hilary Duff says she got involved with the campaign because people are “not kind enough to each other,” and that kids should not have to fear going to school. Hilary says that calling things “gay” has become too casual, and she encourages us not to unintentionally hurt others by using the term.

Have you taken steps in your own life to stop calling things ‘gay’?

Hilary Duff’s latest video podcast is a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of Hilary Duff’s PSA for GLSEN, in which Hilary cautions people not to use the word “gay” in a casual negative way. The podcast is good, but I do miss all the question/answer ones that Hilary was doing!

And, as a reminder, this is Hilary’s GLSEN PSA:

Yay, she did attend! Hilary Duff is seen below posing on the red carpet at the 4th Annual GLSEN Respect Awards held at the Beverly Hills Hotel on October 10, 2008 in Beverly Hills. She was there to unveil the ThinkB4YouSpeak campaign.

Image: used with permission by Newscom

Read more

An article talking about the campaign that Hilary Duff is a part of for ThinkB4YouSpeak says that Hilary will appear tonight at a gala!

The article mentions that Hilary Duff will attend the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)’s annual Respect Awards at the Los Angeles Gala.

Hilary Duff will be at the Respect Awards to unveil the ThinkB4YouSpeak PSAs and the entire campaign.

The Respect Awards are being held at the Beverly Hills Hotel starting at 6:30. Hopefully there is a red carpet set up for the event so that we’ll have photos!

And here’s an update on some Hilary Duff photos!! Click to view HQs:

• Hilary and Mike at Fred Segal on October 1 - Mike being patient while Hilary tries on shoes. Cute!
• Hilary wearing some bright blue jeans in LA on October 9

As mentioned before, Hilary Duff filmed a public service announcement that discourages bullying and harassment of teenagers who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

The Advertising Council, which co-ordinates public service campaigns, is introducing a series of ads meant to tackle these social issues. The campaign begins today, and was created pro bono by the New York based Arnold Worldwide.

The campaign is meant to educate teens and to encourage them to stop using derogatory language, particularly calling things “gay” in a negative way. Often hateful language is just the start, leading to hurtful behavior. It all starts with kids learning it’s ok to disrespect people. The theme of the campaign is:

“When you say, ‘That’s so gay,’ do you realize what you say? Knock it off.”

There will be television and radio commercials, print and outdoor ads and a special Web site devoted to the campaign (thinkb4youspeak.com). In Hilary Duff’s tv commercial, she talks to some girls who call an outfit “gay” instead of “bad”, and explains how silly it is to say that. Check out the video:

Take some time to review the ThinkB4YouSpeak website - are you using cruel language and perhaps you don’t even know it?

Via NY Times Images: PSACentral.adcouncil.org