Local whipping boy/sex advice columnist/Stranger editor/frequent spokesman for the queer community Dan Savage, with the aid of his normally reserved partner Terry Miller, have launched a new anti-bullying campaign aimed at LGBTQ youth they’re calling, “The It Gets Better Project”. I heard about this on Towleroad and you can check out their first video below and on their new YouTube channel:
Dan writes why he started the project and what he hopes to do with it:
“You gotta give ’em hope,” Harvey Milk said.
Today we have the power to give these kids hope. We have the tools to reach out to them and tell our stories and let them know that it gets better. Online support groups are great, GLSEN does amazing work, the Trevor Project is invaluable. But many LGBT youth can’t picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can’t imagine a future for themselves. So let’s show them what our lives are like, let’s show them what the future may hold in store for them.
And, naturally, there are assholes in the comments on the Towleroad post that have to be negative and nasty, apparently because they don’t like Dan Savage or think he’s “too old”. And, naturally, I had to respond…warning: my language is a little more graphic than I normally use on SGS…
Wow.
What a lot of nasty, negative, c*nty remarks on this thread. Typical. Someone tries to do something POSITIVE for the queer community and dumbasses shit all over it because they don’t like the messenger. And, it DOES GET BETTER! (and, if it doesn’t, then you’re doing something wrong.) Teenagers have zero power. Turning 18 and graduating from high school gives EVERY LGBT teen the power to change their lives by going to college, getting a job, moving to a new and more tolerant place; doing SOMETHING to leave that old life behind.
Or, they can stay where they are, continue their harassed lives and grow up to be a bunch of bitter bitches that comment on websites and shit over everything they don’t like.
The dialogue continues after that…go check it out and check out Dan and Terry’s project. Whatever you feel about Dan Savage, you should still support this cause. Even if it helps ONE queer kid and prevents them from killing themselves, it’s a worthy project for that alone.
-Michael Strangeways
