Earlier in the month I posted about the heartbreaking string of young LGBT people committing suicide. Since that post, I’ve heard of at least two more occurrences that made it into the national news. Amid all of these happening there’s been a shocking amount of hate messages reported in the news (such as a school board member — yes a school board member — in Arkansas encouraging LGBT people to commit suicide via his Facebook page).
Thankfully there have been some powerful messages countering the hate. Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project has become huge during this month with everyone from President Obama to stars of stage and screen and regular folks telling young people that It Gets Better.
Tonight I’m getting together with some of the amazing people I did the Braking the Cycle ride with to shoot a video for It Gets Better. I encourage you to do a video as well. Whether or not you identify as LGBT, if you support LGBT people make a video and submit it. It’s important for LGBT youth to hear messages of hope, inspiration and positiveness in the face of the many negative, hateful messages they are exposed to every day.
Here are a few of the incredible videos contributed so far:
This is the one that started it all–Dan Savage and his partner Terry.
Employees from Google.
Glee’s Chris Colfer.
A team of cast members from various Broadway and Off-Broadway shows came together to record the song “It Gets Better”
There are hundreds more videos at ItGetsBetter.com
I’m proud to add my voice to this project. Once the video is edited and online I’ll post here. I encourage you, again, to make a video, write a blog, make posters, skywrite if you want… but do something to let those who feel alone and desperate know that it gets better.
