The project started by writer Dan Savage in the wake of gay teen tragedies, is not only hosted by Google’s YouTube, but it has gotten support from its employees.
From Dan Savage’s blog a few weeks ago following the suicide of an Indiana teen came the idea for GLBT adults to tell kids that things would get better. Using YouTube, they have.
“My heart breaks for the pain and torment you went through, Billy Lucas,” a reader wrote after I posted about Billy Lucas to my blog. “I wish I could have told you that things get better.”
I had the same reaction: I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.
But gay adults aren’t allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don’t bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models.
Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don’t have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids.
So here’s what you can do, GBVWS: Make a video. Tell them it gets better.
I’ve launched a channel on YouTube—www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject—to host these videos.
The It Gets Better Project now has thousands of stories, including some from a few Googlers:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYLs4NCgvNU&w=600&h=375]
There are many other stories on the ItGetsBetter YouTube site and Facebook as well.