On September 21, 2010, columnist Dan Savage posted a video of himself and his husband Terry talking about anti-gay bullying and the recent suicides by gay students. In the video entitled “It Gets Better,” Dan and Terry talk about their life growing up, how they met and fell in love, adopting their son DJ, and the fact that their lives today are so much better than they ever could have imagined when they were victims of bullying in high school.
The video has received hundreds of thousands of views, and celebrities Kathy Griffin and Chris Colfer have uploaded similar videos speaking out against bullying and promoting the Trevor Project which provides a 24-hour hotline for gay kids and teenagers who are considering suicide.
Inspired by Dan Savage’s video, the Gay-Straight Alliance Network created the Make It Better Project which provides the tools and resources to fight anti-gay bullying. The website encourages members to create a gay-straight alliance group in their school and speak up when they witness bullying; making schools a safe environment for gay students. They are also promoting a Week of Action starting October 5th and running through the 11th which is National Coming Out Day. There will be festivals, flash mobs, candle light vigils, town meetings, and letter writing campaigns across the country, and people can upload videos of their stories to YouTube and add them to the It Gets Better channel.
Go to http://www.thetrevorproject.org to read more about the Trevor Project, and read more about the Make It Better Project at http://makeitbetterproject.org/. Get involved in the Week of Action by going to http://equalityevents.ning.com/events, and watch videos or upload your own at http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject.
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