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Before we even gave the world a chance to end (on December 21, supposedly), our have stars spent 2012 trying to end everything from bullying to discrimination. To celebrate the top celeb activists of 2012, we've compiled a list that will reveal the top issues famous gamechangers tackled this year!
+ Straight Dudes, Gay Allies
No doubt, 2012 was a huge year for straight dudes standing up for the LGBT community! Jay-Z, the band fun. and Josh Hutcherson all used their platform to rally for equality. We saw Jay voice his support for President Obama endorsing same-sex marriage and revealed, "[It] is no different than discriminating against blacks. It's discrimination plain and simple." The band fun. exploded onto the scene in 2012 making them one of the biggest bands of 2012, but they also were one of the biggest gay allies as well! They launched The Ally Coalition to rally straight supporters of gay rights and their gay friends. And Josh Hutcherson was right with them -- not only is he a massive supporter of Straight But Not Narrow, but he even won GLAAD's Vanguard Award this year for his advocacy.
+ Campaign 2012's Electionistas
One of the year's biggest hot topics would hands down be the 2012 presidential election. Young people and women came out in full force, voicing their opinions and getting involved with the election from fundraisers to PSAs. Stars like Eva Longoria, Alicia Keys, Beyonce and Miley Cyrus are part of the group of "electionistas" who made a strong effort to not only show up, but to rally their communities along with them.
+ Who Run The World? These Girls
Did you know there are 163 million illiterate youth around the world and 63 percent of this group are female? Luckily, celebs like Selena Gomez and Olivia Wilde are doing their part to bring attention to the importance of supporting girls' education. After hearing the heartbreaking story of Pakastan's young education activist Malala, Selena took to Twitter. "Please honor Malala Yousafzai by spreading her message of children's right to an education. bit.ly/Qsl8Jc #StandWithMalala," she tweeted. While Selena stood up for Malala, Olivia filmed the powerful documentary "Half The Sky", which premiered this year highlighting oppression of women worldwide.
+ No Bully Zone
Celebrities in 2012 have taken the stand to help raise awareness about such a huge the bullying epidemic sweeping America. T.I., Lady Gaga, and even Snooki have been quite the advocates this year leaving us feeling so inspired by their work! T.I. teamed up with Saving Our Daughters, Gaga launched her Born This Way Foundation, and America's Favorite Meatball Mom teamed up with MTV's A Thin Line campaign to shine a much needed light on bullying in 2012.
+ Stronger Than Ever
Let's be honest, Hollywood often puts so much pressure on peeps to look, feel and be perfect but Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato and Vinny Guadagnino were all about telling it how it is for the betterment of their lives -- and their fans. Xtina didn't back down and fully embraced her full figure in 2012. Demi took the world deep into her life during an MTV documentary, "Stay Strong," empowering us all to overcome battles. And Vinny Guadagnino left the Shore house to take care of his emotional health, and wrote a book helping people young and old "Control The Crazy." Thanks to them, we were all inspired to take care and start 2013 stronger than ever!
