At the It Gets Better Project, we envision a world where all LGBTQ+ youth are free to live equally and know their worthiness and power as individuals.
We believe by telling the stories of the LGBTQ+ community we can provide hope and inspiration to the young people who need it the most.
We are proud to collaborate with @popaesthete today on Art Action Day to show LGBTQ+ youth that we are working tirelessly to create a brighter and more inclusive future for them.
So what will they say about 2018? Share your vision for the best version of 2018 and what you will do to make it happen.
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.
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!
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!
Patrick Starrr Says Life Opens Up When You DoWe partnered in the United States with Patrick Starrr this pride season to spread positive messages with LGBTQ+ youth using #TheirStory!Since 2010, theIt Gets Better Projecthas collected over 60,000video stories from LGBTQ+ people and their allies from around the world. Here are some of our favorite moments from April 2019.
Unite UK’s Charlotte Shares Her Story and Message of Hope
Charlotte one of the co-founders of Unite UK tells her It Gets Better story, about her experience of having an eating disorder and how it got better.
Mexico’s UNDP Representative Gives a Message of Inclusion
Lorenzo Jiménez de Luis, México’s representative for the United Nations Development Programme voiced his message of hope and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community for Pride Month.
Patrick Starrr Says Life Opens Up When You Do
We partnered in the United States with Patrick Starrr this pride season to spread positive messages with LGBTQ+ youth using #TheirStory!
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.
Attention LGBTQ+ streamers: we want YOU to collaborate with us on Twitch, and apps are open for both paid and charity streaming opportunities!
Learn how weโre launching a safe and inclusive community for LGBTQ+ streamers on Twitch, and apply to become a member. We offer 3 tiers of It Gets Better memberships for you to join:
๐ณ๏ธโ๐Ambassadors: Want to stream with us from our channel? Our It Gets Better Ambassadors are paid streamers who are passionate about creating LGBTQ+ positive content! As an Ambassador, youโll commit to representing the It Gets Better Project on our Twitch channel through gameplay, coming out stories, discussing LGBTQ+ representation in gaming and the media, fireside chats and interviews, makeup tutorials, drag, and musical performances, art demos, and more.
๐ณ๏ธโ๐Partners: Are you already part of a stream team that loves to fundraise? Our It Gets Better Partner membership is designated for established Twitch stream teams who will work together, as a team, to support us through charity streaming on membersโ Twitch channels.
๐ณ๏ธโ๐Affiliates: Love charity streaming to raise funds and awareness for organizations you care about? As an It Gets Better Affiliate member, youโll commit to supporting our work through a predetermined number of charity streams on your personal Twitch channel!
Apply now on our website and follow us on Twitch to help show LGBTQ+ youth that it gets better!
The It Gets Better Project and Here by Seventeen Present — Pride on the Horizon, a free special event for LGBTQ+ youth from all over New York City to celebrate NYC Pride together!
Swing by for hosted food and beverages, live drag performances, a celebrity DJ, photo booth, and the chance to share their story with Here by Seventeen and It Gets Better Project! 🌈
Hey nerds ๐ time to drop some knowledge about LGBTQ+ terms!
Todayโs term is pansexual: Someone who is attracted to people of any or all genders, or are attracted to people regardless of gender -generally, gender doesnโt play a role in the attraction. โIโm attracted to this person, and their gender doesnโt influence that!โ
Bisexuality is related, but usually describes attraction to multiple genders - meaning, gender does play a role in the attraction. โIโm attracted to both women and non-binary people.โ
Some people use the word pansexual as an umbrella term to describe individuals that are attracted to more than one gender (which means it would encompass bisexuality, too).
The important thing to remember is that people identify with terms differently - use what feels best to you!
Want more? Writing Our Own Dictionary premieres on our Youtube October 6th! Subscribe now so you donโt 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!