Teen joins Lady Gaga for event

Local resident represents DN at Harvard University

Bogdan Davis talks about his recent trip to Boston for the launch of Lady Gagas new foundation Born This Way at Sunset High School. Del Norte Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

Bogdan Daviss first flight out of Crescent City was to meet Lady Gaga.

Davis, 18, was selected as the youth leader for Del Norte County and adjacent tribal lands to attend the launch of the pop stars Born This Way Foundation, which aims to empower youths to be leaders in their communities, at Harvard University.

It was my first adult adventure into the world, Davis said.

As an openly gay teenager, Davis said he has been bullied and threatened which forced him to drop out of school for a while but he rose above it and ! focused on opportunities to better himself.

The California Endowment is one of several partners in Ladys Gagas foundation and selected a youth leader from each of its Building Health Communities Davis was Del Nortes choice.

It didnt seem like it was real until a week before Iactually had to go, Davis said.

Last year, the senior at Sunset High School participated in Building Healthy Communities summer internship program, Building Youth Power.

Working with Melissa Darnell a community youth organizer, Davis and a group of students at Sunset are trying to improve their campus and change negative preceptions about the high school.

But hes really focused on graduating this spring.

Davis transferred to Sunset from Del Norte High School for his senior year because it allows him to work at his own pace and he takes care of his elderly grandfather.

Lady Gaga speaks to the youth representatives at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. Courtesy of Bogdan Davis

He was nerve-ridden about coming to Sunset, ! but felt welcomed there immediately. Students at Sunset are seen by some as the unwanted children, Davis said, but the students want to change that image so that everyone feels welcome at the school.

We are the ambassadors of our experience, Davis said.

Davis came out as being gay his freshman year at Del Norte High School in 2009. He said he was the only openly gay student there at that time.

He had friends who were supportive, but the response from many students was ew, he said. He said he didnt feel accepted for who he was and didnt feel safe.

Walking down the halls, some students would yell out gay and throw things at him, he said.

At an assembly on teen dating violence (during a week students could wear purple to raise awareness about the cause), Davis overheard students talking about why people were wearing purple. The response from one student was that it was Fag Awareness Day, he said. Another chimed in that Davis should kill himself because he was gay, he said, adding this was all said knowing he was within ear shot.

When he reported what some students were saying, there wasnt serious retribution, he said.

I have every step of the way struggled with it, he said.

Even before transferring to Sunset, however, things got better. When he returned to DNHS after missing a semester, the bullying lessened, he said. It was as if everyone had matured and didnt care that he was gay, Davis said.

It was right around this time the singer Lady Gaga was gaining popularity. She is a strong advocate for gay rights (among other causes) and her song Born This Way has become an anthem for gay pride.

Gaga and her music helped Davis through this difficult time, he said.

The last week of February, Davis flew out of Crescent City to San Francisco and then to Los Angeles, where he met with the other youth leaders from all over the state.

They got a lesson in how to use social media to create change from Blue State Digital, a national company that specializes in o! nline fu ndraising, advocacy and social media; and also iPod Touches so the youths could post their experiences to Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter.

The delegates flew together to Boston for the launch of the Born This Way Foundation at Harvard on Feb. 29.

They toured the campus, attended a forum about bullying and creating caring communities. and went to the launch event.

It was very, very inspiring, Davis said.

Lady Gaga was joined by Oprah Winfrey, spiritual leader Deepak Chopra, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to kick off the Born This Way Foundation that Gagas mother will help steer.

The singer spoke to more than 1,100 students from several states, faculty and invited guests at Harvard, urging the young audience to challenge meanness and cruelty.

I believe that if you have revolutionary potential, you must make the world a better place and use it, she said.

Bogdan Davis poses with Dolly Vang and Irvis Orozco, two other youth representatives, in front of Lady Gagas Born to Be Brave bus at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. Courtesy of Bogdan Davis

She reminded them that there is no law to make people be kind to one another and added: I wish there was because, you know, Id be chained naked to a fence somewhere trying to pass it.

Gagas representative said the singer has made a $1.2 million personal contribution to the foundation, named after her 2011 album and hit song.

Gaga, who has said she was the victim of bullying as a teenager, said the idea for the foundation grew out of the dialogue created after Born This Way was released. She said she received an onslaught of letters and emails from people who said such things as, I want there to be more tolerance in the universe. I want there to be more acceptance.

During the event, the singer gave few specifics about how the foundation will operate.

She said the foundation is working with a new media agency to create a social media environment that fosters the foundations goals.

She said the Born Brave Bus will follow her tour bus around the country and will welcome anyone from any walk of life to talk about love, acceptance, kindness and other goals of the foundation.

She urged students to go back to their communities and perform simple acts of kindness to help foster acceptance, tolerance and individuality.

The event was inspiring, but Davis also felt proud that what Gaga and her experts were talking about are things hes already doing in a sense.

It was a pat on the back, he said. Im going in the right direction.

Davis expected to learn some sort of plan for what hes! suppose d to do with the information he received, but he knows hes a spokesperson for the next year and is supposed to spread the empowerment message to other teens.

After graduating in June, he plans to attend College of the Redwoods-Del Norte and continue to be involved with Building Healthy Communities and youth organizing.

Davis said he realizes that he has more potential to make change happen than he thought and feels empowered now, a bit more super human.

I really look forward to the future, Davis said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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