- Singer Billy Ray Cyrus met with First Lady Melania Trump, accompanied by the family members of a teenager who died by suicide after he was allegedly the victim of cyberbullying.
- Channing Smith, a 16-year-old from Tennessee, died by suicide at the end of September after his classmates allegedly shared sexually explicit messages between him and another boy.
- The First Lady launched "Be Best," an anti-bullying and anti-drug use campaign, last year.
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Singer Billy Ray Cyrus accompanied the family members of a teenager who died by suicide following cyberbullying to a meeting with First Lady Melania Trump.
Channing Smith, a 16-year-old from Tennessee, died by suicide at the end of September after his classmates allegedly shared sexually explicit messages between him and another boy.
"I'm not gay, but I did love my brother and that did not matter to me, not one ounce," Joshua Smith, Channing's brother, told Insider's Kat Tenbarge. "He should never have died over that. Nobody should."
After learning of Smith's death, Cyrus expressed his grief for the young boy and demanded something be done about bullying, accompanying his message with #JusticeForChanning.
"My heart breaks for Channing, his family, his friends and the community," the country singer tweeted at the time. "This is the saddest story... Enough is enough."
Cyrus, alongside Channing Smith's father and brother, met with the First Lady at the White House on Tuesday. Cyrus posted about the meeting on Instagram, thanking Melania Trump for speaking with the Smith family. She launched "Be Best," an anti-bullying and anti-drug use campaign, last year.
"What an honor to sit with the First Lady in the Red Room at the White House," Cyrus wrote in the post. "I was truly inspired by your sincerity. You delivered heart and compassion. You and your team were so engaged to Channing's grieving father and brother. You brought ideas and strategy to the table. I was blown away by your vision to make this world a safer and better place for the youth in America."
- Read more:
- A teen fought back against a homophobic high school bully, and Twitter is calling him a hero
- A former bully who went back to high school as an adult realized bullying isn't the same problem it used to be — it's worse
- I was bullied in high school, and I still bear the scars from it 40 years later
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