Glee actress, Lauren Potter, has been continuously calling on people to halt the use of the term "retard" when referring to others with mental disabilities. The star, who has been highly acclaimed for her role as Becky Jackson in the hit television series, shared this sentiment in a recent interview with Huffington Post Live on Friday.
"The R-word is a hateful word. We need to stop, to end the R-word in every place," the Glee actress shared. "I don't know why people are so mean. All I want from you is to stop saying the R-word. That's what I am trying to let my fans know, that's a really bad word. You can't say anything bad about other people -- it will hurt other people," she added.
Moreover, Potter encouraged her fans and followers who fall victims to bullying to constantly remember that they are "unique" and "beautiful." The star reminded them that physical appearances are irrelevant because they are "unique in a special way."
Apart from this interview, the actress has been actively taking part in campaigns against bullying of people with special needs.
In addition to the measures taken by celebrities and other personalities to battle the type of bullying that targets people with mental disabilities, the Rosa's Law has been enacted to provide protection to these victims.
Rosa's Law is a statute in the United States which substitutes the term "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability." This was first presented by Barbara Mikulski in 2009 to the senate, where it was passed unanimously. It was signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 5, 2010.
The statute was named after Rosa Marcellino, a child struggling with Down Syndrome. She was nine years old at the time the law was signed, and had been known to work with her parents to officially eliminate the words "mentally retarded" from the health and education code in Maryland, her home state.
"What you call people is how you treat them. If we change the words, maybe it will be the start of a new attitude towards people with disabilities," shared the president in his speech in 2010, quoting Rosa's brother, Nick, during the signing of Rosa's law.
