JUDAS PRIEST's ROB HALFORD Speaks Out On Anti-Gay Bullying, Suicides

In a brand new interview with About.com, JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford was asked about the recent string of highly publicized suicides by gay teenagers and what he thinks can be done to help prevent them. "I think, more than anything, it's a picture of the way life is," Halford replied. "You have all this sexting going on, and cyberbullying going on. It's absolutely heartbreaking when people are driven to the point where they are taking their own lives.

"I'm pleased that talented people like Ellen Degeneres and Neil Patrick Harris are speaking out. They are far more articulate than I am.

"The most imporant thing is to show the love and support that is out there for everybody, whether you're being bullied or not. It's important to look after each other and to nurture each other, especially in your school years.

"I saw bullying when I was a kid growing up in school. It has always been there.

"It's a very peculiar thing.

"It's a shame that it takes horrible tragedies like this to bring the spotlight back on. It has to stay there now. It can't just fizzle out in a couple weeks, like things tend to do in the media.

"Programs need to be installed in schools, or reinforced. Parents need to keep an eye on their kids a little bit more. The social interaction that's available 24 hours a day has to be utilized in a strong, educating, promotional way to let people who are going through those periods of their lives know that there's always somebody you can talk to.

"Don't feel alone. There's a way we can help each other get through these types of difficulties."