Since 2010, the It Gets Better Project has collected over 60,000 video stories from LGBTQ people and their allies from around the world. Here are some of our favorites from June 2017.
1. #PorUnFinalFeliz – “For A Happy Ending” Campaign
Through July, our affiliate in Chile, Todo Mejora, continues the campaign Por Un Final Feliz with the help of several media partners. A number of new videos have been uploaded to their YouTube page featuring uplifting stories from Chilean young people, as well as messages of hope from actors and other popular figures.
2. El Summit 2017 de Pride Connection Summit – It Gets Better México
It Gets Better México participated in the 2017 Pride Connection Summit and has a large number of It Gets Better videos uploaded to their YouTube page from other participants they came across there. Featured below is Carlos Maza, a manager over at Moovz, a global LGBT social network that’s particularly popular in Latin America. Pride Connection aims to foster inclusive company cultures for LGBTQ employees at professional work places across the world.
In July, we heard from some of the kids featured in the documentary Check It, which chronicles the journey of a group of young black LGBTQ men and women in Washington D.C., breaking out of poverty by launching clothing labels, walking runways, and putting on fashion shows. Emerging from violence and harassment, they made a family where they didn’t have one.
“Life for the Check It can be brutal, but it’s also full of hope and an indomitable resilience.”
In this series of videos, various members of the Check It share their stories & their messages for others in the LGBTQ community.
EL PAÍS is a daily newspaper based in Madrid, Spain with a circulation of over 15 million unique readers. In this video, a number of their staff have words of encouragement for LGBTQ jóvenes – young people.
5. Petra Bayr, a Member of Austrian Parliament, Says “It Gets Better”!
Petra Bayr knows that there is bullying and even violence against LGBTQ young people in her country. But as part of the government, she she hopes she can encourage young people to come out and stresses that things will be better.
Craving more?! Go to www.itgetsbetter.org, or keep scrolling to learn more about the cool things It Gets Better and its affiliates are doing around the world.
Colombia: It Gets Better Colombia marched for Pride in Bogotá alongside 150,000 other passionate fighters for the LGBTQ community.
España: Our affiliate in Spain also marched at World Pride 2017 alongside our Portuguese and Austrian affiliates! Supported by Lush Spain, we were proud to spread hope for LGBTQ youth around the world.
Paraguay: Meanwhile, It Gets Better Paraguay was busy participating in the first module of a workshop for a leadership school in Oviedo where they educated and empowered young people on topics of human rights.
Greece: Finally, It Gets Better Greece marched at both Pride events in Athens and Thessaloniki. “Ήταν ένα εξαίσιο (It was exquisite!)” they said.
Our executive director Brian Wenke spoke with Youth Today about It Gets Better, sharing both his personal story and elaborating on the message of our project.
Life really does get better for most LGBT teens as they get older, say researchers at Northwestern University.
They followed 231 LGBT 16- to 20-year-olds, contacting each of them six times during a 3½- year period. Researchers published their results in the Journal of Adolescent Health in March 2015, showing, in general, victimization and psychological distress decreased as the youth grew older.
Wenke says one reason the change happens is because “as we age, we learn to recognize the bullies and also to find people who share our value system and can support us.”
Since 2010, the It Gets Better Project has collected over 60,000 video stories from LGBTQ people and their allies from around the world. Here are some of our favorites from June 2017.
1. Advice From Your Favorite Drag Queens - DragCon 2017
At this year’s DragCon, we met up with some of RuPaul Drag Race’s most wise & hilarious drag queens to ask them for the advice they’d give young people in today’s LGBTQ community.
We partnered with SAGE Table to start conversations with LGBTQ community members of varying generations and backgrounds. Among them were social media creator Shannon Beveridge, Matthieu Dahdah, our own intern McKenna Palmer, and more. The crux: how can we change our future without knowing our past?
3. President Michelle Bachelet - President of Chile
President Michelle Bachelet advocates for the LGBTQI youths of Chile – for their talents and abilities through which a more democratic, inclusive, and tolerant Chile will be built.
“There is a world of possibilities waiting for you,” she promises. [Though she says: “hay un mundo lleno de posibilidades esperándolos”]
Google employees assure others from the LGBTQ community that the future is for them – that it’s for everyone, and that they don’t need to worry about being “normal.”
“Normality” is a beautifully diverse world, they assert.
Craving more?! Go to www.itgetsbetter.org, or keep scrolling to learn more about the cool things It Gets Better and its affiliates are doing around the world.
COLOMBIA: It Gets Better Colombia participated in Pride Month by Marching through Bucaramanga. They invited participants to share their photos using the hashtag #unamarchalgbt
MÉXICO: Our team in México also marched for Pride! Check out their photos across Mexico City on their Facebook here, along with other organized Pride marches alongside the U.S. Embassy, AT&T, Nielson, and more.
CHILÉ: Our affiliate in Chile has launched a new campaign #PorUnFinalFeliz which hopes to provide welfare and assistance to LGBTQ adolescents targeted by bullying or who otherwise have suicidal thoughts. For information on how to contribute, access more information here.
.LGBT is the perfect domain for LGBT sites, and this Pride Season, support the It Gets Better Project by registering a .LGBT domain anytime through National Coming Out Day on October 11th, 2015! For each domain name registered, .LGBT will be donating $20.00 to the It Gets Better Project to help them continue their amazing outreach to LGBT youth.
Register your .LGBT address and support the It Gets Better Project today! Learn more by visiting www.itgetsbetter.lgbt
Join us as we launch the first of our live Google+ Hangouts: It Gets Better Plus!
The video chat hangouts will feature It Gets Better Project Co-Founder Dan Savage; StandUp Foundation’s Chairman Ben Cohen, MBE; and writer/activist Janet Mock as well as other It Gets Better supporters answering your questions about LGBT issues and coming out!
As a proud supporter of the LGBT Community, Uber is honored to partner with the It Gets Better Project in celebration of Pride month.
Together, Uber and It Gets Better will share messages of hope to LGBT youth across five west coast Uber cities — and we’re inviting you to be a part of the movement.
Want to get involved? Throughout the month of June, share your own story to remind LGBT youth that it really does get better. Each West Coast Uber city will be celebrating in its own unique way, so read below to learn more about local efforts!
Uber is committed to diversity and inclusion and IGB is thrilled to be partnering with an organization dedicated to sharing their message. We’re excited to celebrate Pride Month with you, and we hope you will join us as we ride with pride.
Our own Dan Savage – who founded It Gets Better btw – was featured in this list of exemplary Queer Podcasts for his project Savage Lovecast, essentially a podcast version of his weekly sex & relationship advice column.
Also featured in the list are The Read, Homoground (featuring LGBTQ music artists), Pod Save the People, and more.
It Gets Better: Bert McCracken & Jeph Howard (The Used)
Bert McCracken & Jeph Howard of The Used share their personal stories and offer their support for youth who are struggling with being bullied.
The It Gets Better Project was created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach — if they can just get through their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone — and it WILL get better.
The 2013 Sub City Take Action Tour, featuring The Used will be benefitting the It Gets Better Project. 10% of the cost of each ticket purchased will be donated to It Gets Better and Sub City.
MTV is casting for another acclaimed “It Gets Better” special. We are looking for people who appear to be 15-25, and want to share their stories and experiences about growing up LGBT.
The more information you share, the better we get to know you! You should be open to sharing your stories and struggles on-camera. If interested, please email us your story and the following information at LGBTspecial@gmail.com. Click here for more information.
It’s been a year, which means it’s now legal to make terrible puns about all this! They can’t arrest us all.
Jokes aside, though, this is the cover of my new comic book, a collection of some of my favourite comics I made in the past year.