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Rise Against lead singer, Tim McIlrath, brought the discussion of teen bullying to the mainstream rock scene this summer through the song and video for “Make It Stop (September’s Children)” off the band’s sixth studio album. He was cool enough to take time out of his day to sit down with Logo’s beCause project to talk about this issue that’s become so important to him, and the It Gets Better Project that’s helping to address it.

The wave of gay suicides in September 2010 made many across the country reconsider how they approach the issue of bullying. Through the It Gets Better Project and other forms of artistry and activism, the discussion of bullying was suddenly being had in unexpected places. From President Obama and Secretary Clinton’s supportive YouTube videos to pop singers like Demi Lovato and Katy Perry belting out positive messages to fans, public figures seemed to be increasingly speaking out on this pressing issue in new forums.

Rise Against’s lead singer Tim McIlrath was also inspired by the traumatic events of that month to raise awareness about the issue of bullying. The Chicago hard core punk rock band Rise Against, which has risen from grungy dive bars to mainstream rock domination over the last decade, was in the midst of recording their sixth studio album Endgame when Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi’s suicide dominated the news. McIlrath told MTV News that the moment crystallized for him the fact that “the rock scene in general kind of fails to comment about this stuff.”

In addition, he says, “I found a lot of fans who were unsure about how we felt about if our fans were gay, and that broke my heart, to think that any one of our fans might even question for a second where we stand on that."

With those thoughts in the back of his mind, McIlrath (married with two daughters) and Rise Against recorded “Make It Stop (September’s Children)” inspired by bullying and suicides in the LGBT community. With the song, he says, he hopes to give teens struggling a sense that “life does improve after high school.”

The video for the single, which premiered on June 21st, was set at Rolling Meadows High School, where McIlrath went to school, and focused on three teens being bullied, pushed to the brink, and then realizing there’s hope. Produced in partnership with the It Gets Better Project, the message of the video was that the band doesn’t tolerate bigotry and that young fans coming to grips with their sexuality should be empowered.

We talked with McIlrath about what motivated him to make such a powerful statement, how he sees music aligning with activism, and why he feels so passionately about this cause.

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Rise Against’s latest album, Endgame, marked the band’s highest debut as well as the most albums the band has sold in a week. For more on Logo’s because project, you can go to logotv.com/because. To hear more of Rise Against's music or to catch them on tour check out www.riseagainst.com.