Three-time Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas has signed on to be the first Change Ambassador for Hack Harassment, an initiative among media and tech companies and music superstar Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation to combat online bullying.
“I am encouraging everyone to take a pledge,” Douglas said Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “It’s called the hackharassment.com/pledge and you read it and you follow it. It’s pretty simple. You take the pledge and you don’t be mean online anymore.”
Douglas was the subject of online ridicule during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for, among other things, not placing her hand on her heart during the national anthem.
“I just want to say that you are not alone,” she said. “And even though it may seem the world’s against you — and I definitely felt like the world was definitely against me in Rio — I’m here today to tell you that’s not the case.”
The 20-year-old also stressed that parents can play a central role in eradicating bullying.
“It starts at home,” she said. If you’re a good example to your kid, your kid’s going to follow that example. If the kid sees you nasty, he/she’s going to take over that role.”
“You Just Have To Go Full Out With Confidence And Be Courageous.”
–Gabby Douglas
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