12-Year-Old with Two Moms Makes Film About Bullying

Gerry Orz is a 12-year-old living with his two moms and older brother. He’s just made a short film about a boy with two moms who is bullied by a classmate — a reflection of his own experience. This is the second such film he’s made — the first was when he was only nine! Watch a trailer and learn more about his ongoing activism.

Orz is an admirer of Steven Spielberg and hopes to become a film director, producer, and writer, making movies “that will have a positive impact to today’s youth and will inspire them to follow my footsteps to a better tomorrow.” Despite being born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and living in Los Angeles, he’s a Red Sox fan, according to his website (thus winning even more of my admiration — although he seems to be hedging his bets and favoring the N.Y. Giants in football). He also enjoys cooking and traveling with his family, playing video games, and of course, making movies.

In a recent guest post at the HRC blog, he wrote:

To me, my life is 100 percent normal. My parents are great and can do anything. From helping with art projects to fixing a car, they can do it all. My peers didn’t understand. They thought I was gay because my parents are gay. They would bully me about other things too and it made the next two and half months the worst in my life.

In response to his bullying, he took action, writing and starring in the film Day of Silence in 2012. Gerry also started a campaign to have December 12, 2012 become a global day of silence to raise awareness about bullying. After he finished that first film, local State Senator, Carol Lui, invited him to address the Senate, and introduced a successful resolution to name December 12, 2012, “California Bullying Prevention Day.”

Orz’ next film, The Equation of Life, just came out last week and is “a story from all three sides”: the bully, the victim, and the bystander. Here’s the trailer. (Caution: There’s a little fighting and small amount of blood. You may want to screen it first before showing to very young children.)

(Thanks to HRC’s Welcoming Schools for the tip!)

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