Liam Hackett (activist)

Early life

Hackett grew up in Liverpool, experiencing both physical and emotional bullying at school. In the last few years at his secondary school, he was physically assaulted outside of school, causing him to be hospitalised. Hackett has said in some interviews that the bullying he experienced was homophobic.

Hackett first came out as bisexual and, in his college years, he came out as gay. After college Hackett moved to Brighton to study business and management at the University of Sussex. He graduated in 2012 and has since been made notable alumni.

Infancy

After years of being told to 'ignore' those that were bullying him and failing to find adequate support elsewhere, Hackett took to the internet to post about his experiences of being bullied. He talked openly about the extreme verbal and physical bullying he had experienced, including his hospitalisation after a homophobic attack by a group of people from school. Overnight, hundreds of UK-based people came together and formed an online community under his leadership - united by their experiences and seeking the help and support that was not available elsewhere.

The online community rapidly expanded - soon thousands of people were seeking help, advice and comfort in the forum - the movement became so large, that in 2006 Hackett launched a specific MySpace profile to host the conversations that were taking place online and named it ‘Ditch the Label’.

Despite his young age, Hackett recognised the potential of Ditch the Label - the positive impact it could have upon young people and society at large. With drive and determination to help those who were in need, he approached the local Chamber of Commerce in 2007. Aged 16, he became the first person below the age of 18 to receive a grant in his local area to develop a Ditch the Label website - an online hub dedicated to helping and supporting those that had been impacted by bullying - prior to its inception, this had not existed elsewhere on the web.

Official Registration

Ditch the Label continued to grow in momentum behind the scenes as Hackett simultaneously studied for his degree at the University of Sussex. In 2012, he graduated with a degree in business and management and immediately registered Ditch the Label as a legal entity and began to formally develop the organisation. As a new graduate without financial aid or backing, he sold his personal possessions to fund the organisation, such was his belief and commitment to spreading awareness, campaigning for equality and helping those in need. He would continue to work without a wage, funding Ditch the Label out of his own pocket for the next three to four years.

Income requirements had always disqualified Ditch the Label from becoming a recognised charity. Gaining charity status was required in order to attract funding. After 2 years of trying, in March 2014, Ditch the Label was officially recognised and registered as a charity in the UK.

Expansion to USA and Mexico (2016)

After a hugely successful year in 2015, Ditch the Label announced plans to expand across the USA and Mexico, aiming to support a record volume of 500,000 young people through bullying.

Press and media

Hackett regularly speaks throughout the press on a range of issues surrounding bullying, cyber bullying, digital technology and young people. In one of his first interviews, Liam spoke on The Surgery with Alex for BBC Radio 1 about his own personal experiences of bullying - as an ambassador for equality, Hackett understands the importance of sharing his own personal story and journey - providing a role model and tangible success story for young people experiencing prejudice to look up to.

He has also commented on how bullying can affect children from wealthy families for articles in The Daily Telegraph and The Independent.

On July 2014, Hackett gave an exclusive insight into his experiences with homophobic bullying and his coming out story to Gay Star News

Hackett spoke on Sky News about the sudden rise in cases of cyber bullying, he later debated the issues on Channel 5 News, where he frequently discusses bullying and the lives of young people. Following a major new Ditch the Label, Hackett gave advice to young people via Sky News on how to overcome cyber bullying. He also spoke about the report on Good Morning Britain and urged key stakeholders to take action.

Hackett has contributed articles about the current climate of bullying within the UK's education system for SecEd Magazine and the British Journal of School Nursing. In October 2013, Hackett was interviewed on Chinese state television broadcaster CCTV discussing issues surrounding cyberbullying.

Accolades