James T. Rodemeyer (March 21, 1997 – September 18, 2011) was an American teenager from Amherst, New York who was known for his activism against homophobia and his videos on YouTube to help victims of homophobic bullying.

Anonymously posted comments on his Formspring account included hate messages such as, "JAMIE IS STUPID, GAY, FAT AND UGLY.

[8] Rodemeyer was found dead by his older sister Alyssa in the backyard on the morning of September 18, 2011, in an apparent suicide by hanging.

[9] The Amherst, New York police department launched a criminal investigation after Rodemeyer's death, assisted by Erie County district attorney Frank Sedita.

She went on to dedicate her song "Hair" to Rodemeyer during a performance at the iHeartRadio music festival at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, saying, "I wrote this record about how your identity is really all you've got when you're in school...so tonight, Jamey, I know you're up there looking at us and you're not a victim.

[14] In October 2011, actor Zachary Quinto noted Rodemeyer's death as the genesis of his decision to come out publicly as gay, saying on his website "...but in light of Jamey's death – it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it – is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality".

[15][16][17] In response to Quinto's coming out (and in reaction to gay suicides caused by bullying), Dan Kloeffler of ABC News Now also came out.

[19][20] The Fox TV show Glee referred to Rodemeyer when Finn (Cory Monteith) talked to Santana (Naya Rivera) about gay suicide in the episode "I Kissed a Girl", and in the episode "On My Way" when David Karofsky (Max Adler), a gay student, tries to kill himself by hanging as a result of the bullying that had befallen him because of his sexuality.