It Gets Better Project Explained

It Gets Better
Formation:2010
Type:501(c)(3)
Founders:Dan Savage and Terry Miller
Area Served:Worldwide
Headquarters:Los Angeles, CA
Num Employees:12
Leader Title:CEO and Executive Director
Leader Name:Brian Wenke
Former Name:It Gets Better Project
Website:http://itgetsbetter.org

It Gets Better is an Internet-based 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth around the globe.[1] It was founded in the United States by gay activist, author, media pundit, and journalist Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller on September 21, 2010,[2] in response to the suicides of teenagers who were bullied because they were gay or because their peers suspected that they were gay. Its goal is to prevent suicide by having gay adults convey the message that these teens' lives will improve.[3] [4] The project includes more than 50,000 entries from people of all sexual orientations,[5] including many celebrities;[6] the videos have received over 50 million views.

A book of essays from the project was released in March 2011.[7] The project was given the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Governor's Award at the 64th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for "strategically, creatively and powerfully utilizing the media to educate and inspire," according to the academy's chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum.[8]

Project history

The It Gets Better Project was founded by Savage in response to the suicide of Billy Lucas and other teenagers who were bullied because they were gay or perceived to be, such as with Raymond Chase, Tyler Clementi, Ryan Halligan, Asher Brown, and Seth Walsh.[9] [10] Reflecting on Lucas' suicide in his Savage Love column, Savage wrote, "I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better."[11]

Former U.S. President Barack Obama lent his voice to the project and its anti-bullying message during its infancy. On October 21, 2010, Obama contributed his own video saying in part, "We've got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage; that it's just some inevitable part of growing up. It's not. We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe for all of our kids. And for every young person out there you need to know that if you're in trouble, there are caring adults who can help." President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama would later host an anti-bullying conference in March 2011.[12] Google Chrome backed the project as well, promoting its YouTube channel and airing a video ad for the project on television; that ad's first appearance came during a May 3, 2011 episode of Glee.[13]

Today, It Gets Better is the world's largest storytelling effort to empower LGBTQ+ youth.[14] Since 2022, It Gets Better has distributed more than $1 million to middle and high schools throughout the United States to fund projects that uplift and empower LGBTQ+ students.[15] In 2023, It Gets Better was the first of several LGBTQ+ nonprofits to leaveTwitter/X, citing a surge of hate speech and misinformation targeting queer and trans youth.[16] In 2024, the organization dropped the Project from its name to reflect its "growth from a viral movement to a more comprehensive support system for queer youth." It is now known as It Gets Better.[17]

Book and television

In March 2011, E. P. Dutton published , a book of essays edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller that reflect the same theme as the web video project. The book contains more than 100 essays,[18] either transcribed or expanded from the videos or original writings. Contributors include Jennifer Finney Boylan, Gregory Maguire, Meshell Ndegeocello, Michael Cunningham, Suze Orman, and David Sedaris. The book made the New York Times Best Seller list.[19]

Two 1-hour It Gets Better TV specials, which focused on the project's mission and conveyed messages of support, aired in 2012. Broadcast on MTV and simulcast on LGBT-oriented sister network Logo, the specials had premiere airings on February 21 and October 9, 2012.[20] [21]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: It Gets Better . April 4, 2022 . It Gets Better . en-US.
  2. News: Marriage can be right for us all, says Dan Savage. But let's not get carried away with monogamy . October 21, 2005 . April 30, 2011 . Wyatt Buchanan . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120106164705/http://articles.sfgate.com/2005-10-21/entertainment/17395581_1_same-sex-marriage-lesbians-dan-savage/2 . January 6, 2012 .
  3. News: Showing Gay Teens a Happy Future . . Parker-Pope . Tara . September 22, 2010.
  4. News: Peter . Hartlaub . Dan Savage overwhelmed by gay outreach's response . 2010-10-08 . San Francisco Chronicle . 2010-10-09.
  5. News: Dan Savage talks teens, straight people and It Gets Better. 15 February 2011. Xtra!. 8 February 2011. Noreen Fagan. https://web.archive.org/web/20110814044517/http://www.xtra.ca/public/Ottawa/Dan_Savage_talks_teens_straight_people_and_It_Gets_Better-9737.aspx. 14 August 2011. dead.
  6. Web site: President Obama: It Gets Better. . October 21, 2010.
  7. Web site: Furlan. Julia. The 'It Gets Better Project' Turns the Spotlight on Anti-Gay Bullying. March 30, 2011. WNYC. March 22, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110725224452/http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2011/mar/22/it-gets-better-project-page-and-nyc/. July 25, 2011.
  8. Web site: "It Gets Better" to Get Governors Award . Television Academy . 2012-08-22 . 2012-09-15.
  9. Web site: GT Investigates – In This Issue . GayTimes . 2010-11-04 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101114141911/http://www.gaytimes.co.uk/Magazine/InThisIssue-articleid-7574-sectionid-742.html . 2010-11-14 .
  10. Web site: In suicide's wake, a message to gay teens: Hang on; you are not alone . St. Petersburg Times; Tampabay.com . 2 October 2010 . 2010-10-16 . October 5, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101005040340/http://www.tampabay.com/incoming/in-suicides-wake-a-message-to-gay-teens-hang-on-you-are-not-alone/1125546 . dead .
  11. News: Give 'Em Hope . Savage . Dan . Dan Savage . September 23, 2010 . . October 6, 2010 . October 6, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101006121716/http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=4940874 . dead .
  12. Web site: Obamas Focus on Antibullying Efforts. 11 March 2011. The New York Times.
  13. News: Parr . Ben . May 4, 2011 . Google Chrome Commercial Lets Gay Teens Know "It Gets Better" . . February 3, 2021.
  14. Web site: The It Gets Better Project: Empowering LGBTQ+ Youth Around the Globe . 2024-08-06 . Grounds4Cause . en.
  15. Web site: 2024-02-01 . It Gets Better Announces Year Three of Major Grants Initiative to Empower LGBTQ+ Students . 2024-08-06 . Yahoo Finance . en-US.
  16. Web site: It Gets Better Steps Back From Twitter/X Over Hate Speech Concerns . 2024-08-06 . www.advocate.com . en.
  17. Web site: It Gets Better Project changes its name . 2024-08-06 . www.advocate.com . en.
  18. News: NPR . Dan Savage: For Gay Teens, Life 'Gets Better'. March 23, 2011 .
  19. News: The New York Times . Hardcover Nonfiction . April 10, 2011 . Jennifer . Schuessler.
  20. https://web.archive.org/web/20150310231800/http://www.mtv.com/news/1678324/it-gets-better-special-premiere-dan-savage/ "It Gets Better Special To Premiere On MTV, Logo,"
  21. Web site: Second It Gets Better Special Full Episode. It Gets Better. en. 2017-09-23. September 23, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170923144800/http://www.itgetsbetter.org/pages/second-it-gets-better-special-to-air-on-mtv-october-9th. dead.