Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” Project

Posted by Maximum Fun on 28th September 2010

I was lucky enough to go to a high school – School of the Arts in San Francisco – where GLBT students were supported and even celebrated, at least in school. It was great for me, as a straight guy, since I had and have a lifestyle and mannerisms and so on that frequently led people (mostly straight jerks) to assume I was gay. Outside of school, I still had to deal with the occasional homophobic BS, but really, I was very lucky.

Many folks don’t have that experience, though. Even in 2010, adolescence can be incredibly difficult for young people who identify as GLBT, and for those who are struggling with their identities.

That’s why I think Dan Savage’s project “It Gets Better” is so wonderful. Savage has always advised young people going through identity struggles of all kinds that it’s much easier to find a place in the larger world, and this is a wonderful distillation of that. In the video above, Savage and his partner talk about their lives and how they made it through the toughest parts.

Anyway, enjoy the video above and share it with a young person you know. Or, if you’re a young person yourself going through trouble like this – even if it’s because you’re a geek or a religious minority or whatever else – know that it gets better.

By the way: in addition to being a great video-maker, Dan was one of my favorite Sound of Young America guests ever.