I can't believe we are over 20,000 signatures strong! Thank you so much to each and every one of you. I started this petition because in a lot of ways it's personal to me. I was not directly victimized by Colleen Ballinger, I never met her or spoke to her, but she has been a part of my life since I was a teenager. For reference, Colleen started YouTube when I was 15.

     My best friend growing up was obsessed with Miranda Sings. I was only ever a casual Miranda Sings fan so I didn't see a lot of the warning signs.

     So for 18 years I was a competitive figure skater. It was my entire life and my passion. But it comes with a lot of negatives. I struggled with body issues for most of my life. I ignored a lot of trauma just to continue doing what I loved. I didn't realize that I had a torn hip labrum for many years because when I expressed that I was suffering it was treated as though I was just being whiny, so I learned how to ignore it to make other people happy. I was also later diagnosed with fibromyalgia. At the end of my skating career, I was at the highest level in U.S. figure skating, but I struggled with so much pain that eventually I couldn't do it anymore.

     Colleen Ballinger has, in her show, openly made a joke of fibromyalgia. She also accused a young fan who had fibromyalgia, among other debilitating diseases, of making these illnesses up just to get close to her. As someone who has multiple "invisible illnesses," (fibromyalgia, periodic limb movement disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and depression) I want to openly give my support to all of you who are struggling. Just because people can't see it doesn't mean it isn't real. It can seem like there isn't any hope. But there is. It does get better. Whether it's through treatment, therapy, or simply learning how to cope with it. 

     I became a Colleen Ballinger fan because of her ColleenVlogs channel. She was relatable and stuck up for women and went out of her way to make sure everyone watching was proud of themselves and knew that there bodies were beautiful. Unfortunately, it was a front. It was a lie. Proof has shown that these are not the values that she holds dear.

     But even with all of that being said, the worst things that she has done, have involved children. I don't want her to be removed from YouTube because my feelings are hurt. I want her to be removed from YouTube for doing things like sending a 13 year old lingerie. I want her removed for (allegedly) sending pornography to that same minor for the express purpose of shaming another woman's body. It has to stop. According to her fans, she has done this with several groups of minors. This is why she should be removed. To protect anymore children from becoming a victim of Colleen Ballinger. And the bottom line is that YouTube is the vehicle that connected her to those children.

     Thank you all so much for supporting this petition. It is raising awareness and it is making such a huge difference. I'll keep working hard to make it a success.

                                                                                              -Brittany