On the International Day of Trans Visibility (March 31), Ethan Lewis joined the Ambassadors program of It Gets Better España and wanted to send a message to tell you that it does get better.
Pilar is a stylist, who loves theater and dancing. For Trans Day of Visibility, she talks about how the support and love of her closest friends and family helped her find her true essence and wear it with pride.
You can always trust our affiliate in Austria to share testimonies of LGBTQ+ people for the benefit of LGBTQ+ youth month after month. Meet Christina Praßl.
We sat down with actress Josie Totah to discuss the struggles she faced growing up in the spotlight, coming into her own and the importance of Trans Day Of Visibility!
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.
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.
🌈✊ YOUTH ACTIVISM SERIES - THE IT GETS BETTER PROJECT 🌈✊
THE IT GETS BETTER PROJECT IS LOOKING FOR OPENLY LGBTQ+ YOUTH ACTIVISTS TO SHARE YOUR STORY IN A WEB DOCU-SERIES.
Our goal is to give viewers around the world a hopeful, affirming glimpse into the lives of activists who identify as LGBTQ+ around the world (including outside of USA) and a respect for the intersectionality of many forms of activism. We’re looking for young people between the ages of 14-24 who are comfortably “out” as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer and who are involved in intersectional causes that aren’t necessarily directly about LGBTQ+ equality.
Maybe you’re part of a group of young queer activists working to end gun violence or fight for change in immigration policy. Maybe you’re creating a space for other LGBTQ+ youth to join you in advocating for global climate change or local workers rights. Maybe you’re creating art as activism related to racial inequality or reproductive justice. Maybe you are just a young person who is passionate about a particular cause and want to see a change in the world. We’re looking for young people between 14-24 who are changing the world…or even your own community. No cause is too small!
Does being openly LGBTQ+ impact your view of the world? Why are you so passionate about the cause you’re fighting for? The time commitment is limited- filming would take place over 1-2 days in your area based on your availability.
What’s your story? Please email us ASAP and let us know! casting@creatorup.com
PLEASE REFERENCE “ACTIVISM” IN THE EMAIL AND TELL US ABOUT YOU!
“This month, Converse has launched a Pride collection of sneakers in its classic silhouette, with all net proceeds going to fund the It Gets Better Project and the Happy Hippie Foundation“
Didja know about this guys?
if pride is your aesthetic, you can buy some shoes here. thanks!
“So, I found my power through that pen and paper….
Don’t give up hope. I feel like I’m a perfect example of, just like, I thought I had seen it all. And, you know, I thought for me life was over with…
So, for me, it’s to tell the young people to not give up. Believe. Dream. Never stop dreaming. Never give up.”
Shea Diamond dedicates her new song “Seen It All” to the It Gets Better Project.
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Shea Diamond grew up idolizing 1) her mother 2) divas, singing into their mics with their souls on their sleeves.
As a homeless teenager looking for funds to proceed with MTF transition, Shea committed a crime that resulted in her incarceration for ten years. Throughout that time, the emotions, memories, struggle, and power accumulated within her, a large source for the breathtaking music she puts out today. As she says, “I found my power through that pen and paper.”
She remembers what it was like being among people who didn’t understand, she remembers fellow transgender young people running away from home and finding themselves on the streets. Some of them committed suicide, she recalls, and before she first began transitioning she too had the overwhelming feeling of being trapped in an existence she couldn’t live in anymore. Everyone around her was happy, it seemed, yet she couldn’t find that same happiness because she couldn’t be herself.
“I was the best actress in the world,” she says, regarding having to pretend to be the gender she wasn’t. But, through community, she came to understand that she wasn’t alone – that she wasn’t so different after all, and that there are so many people who have the same experience as her.
It is with this knowledge that she found hope. And now she urges all young people: believe, dream, don’t give up hope. After all, she thought she had seen it all, and faced greater obstacles than most which seemed unsurpassable, nevertheless she never gave up. She persisted. She knows it gets better, and she wants you to know too.
Shea’s story of perseverance is one that all LGBTQ young people need to hear. The It Gets Better Project is honored to have a voice like Shea’s to share this message of hope.
Shea is currently writing music with Justin Tranter, who is producing her upcoming album. In the past, Tranter has written songs for Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Halsey, Fifth Harmony, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, DNCE, and Fall Out Boy.
“Among the exhibitors and merchants at the convention (in addition to the bevy of queens that will have their own booths and tables): Boobs for Queens, Human Rights Campaign, It Gets Better Project, Manic Panic, Marco Marco, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics and Wigs By Vanity.”
Today is the Trans* Day of Visibility. We’re proud of the milestones that we’ve created for our movement this year and we’re looking forward to continuing further equality next year!
Time to d-d-d-drop some knowledge about LGBTQ+ terms!
Today’s term is non-binary: A person whose gender identity does not conform to the gender binary, which is the erroneous idea that only two distinct and opposite genders exist (man and woman). In reality, many genders exist, and have existed throughout history! Some nonbinary people identify with more than one gender, while others don’t identify with any.
The important thing: there are many ways to be nonbinary, and everyone’s experience with gender is different.
Want more? Writing Our Own Dictionary premieres on our Youtube October 6th! Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode. In the meantime, check out our terms glossary at itgetsbetter.org/glossary.
yknow, I'm really glad that somewhere, someone out there took the time to make a whole blog, just to support people and kids like us, it really really does mean a lot to us. We thancc thee
My dear lgbt+ kid,
I kept this message in my drafts for a long time because it’s so kind - and also because it reminds me that I am doing my best to support people.
I tend to feel guilty for not doing more, for just writing silly little letters on tumblr. Your message really provides a different perspective: I took time to make a whole blog just to share love and comfort! Yay, me!
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