It gets better project!

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http://www.itgetsbetter.org/

Only because I saw an ad for it.

yeah it's awesome!! !

I'd like to make an "It Gets Better" video of my own, but I'd have no idea what to say, since I've never been bullied because of my sexual orientaiton (I guess people either don't care or don't know).

Still, I fully appreciate the fact that this project has been so successful.

Descartes, maybe you could start with "Although I've never been bullied, I've had a few struggles of my own when it came to acceptance" or "I was lucky that I haven't been bullied. Sometimes you just gotta find some real accepting friends out there and nothing else matters", you know, something like that.

i love the it gets better project. watching it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy. i love the diversity in the backgrounds of speakers. queers, non queers, old, young, religious folk, cops, parents, couples, ordinary people, famous people, organisations, educators, students. everyone. i also love the similar projects that it has inspired and the way people are now communicating through videos on the internet and using that as a way to raise awareness and generate change. like the reach out vids. my favourite is the u r not alone vid but i'm biased because i've met them. that and the i expect better videos. go pflag mum. and the times put out some videos too. i think it was descartes that linked them in a previous thread. im not sure.
i expect better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl9rbuKO_Sc
reachout:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlzmnv16 ... r_embedded

descartes: you should totally make a video. you could be an example of how things don't have to suck and how people can totally not care that you are queer.

I've been wanting to do one myself.

This inspired me to start one, except, I heard my brother coming up the staircase and shut it off, incase he heard. That's a great way to tell people it gets better, isn't it? *sarcastic*

I doubt my brother would be real accepting of me.

My brother is fine with it, as is my mother. My father doesn't know.

It's more that I don't like people listening to what I'm recording, but really I shouldn't mind.

Well, as fine with it as a 12-year-old boy may be.

It is a good concept, but I wish people would be realistic too. We cannot just say "It Gets Better" but we also need to give kids and teens coping tools because there are many closed minded people who would mock and bully others just because they were openly LGBT.

A big part of why it gets better is because people get stronger. If you get hurt many times, you become desensitized to the bullying and anti-LGBT remarks. Once you get desensitized, you make a logical coping skill rather than have the emotional connection to the bullying.

I was under the impression that it got better because when they got older they might be able to migrate to less homophobic areas and/or associate with more open minded or LGBT people who would like them for who they are. Or, at the very least to pursuade youths not to kill themselves before they can get to that point.

What coping tools would you suggest?

I've seen one of these videos before--the one with all of the London theatre stars. One of my favourite singers was in it (even though she's straight--I guess just to show that there are accepting, open minded people out there). It was good for me to see though, because I was just coming to terms with my homosexuality at that point.

I love the videos. And for Krista ~ 1(866)-4-U-Trevor Suicide prevention hotline. Just because sometimes it gets to be too much for even the strongest.

That is another reason it gets better, but I want people to hold on until they are able to move and associate with more open minded people. Sure, you can tell young LGBT teenagers it gets better as they get older but it often does not improve their current condition in anyway.

A general coping skill is to know your rights. If someone verbally assaults you, you can report it to the school. If someone physically assaults you due to your LGBT identity, you can report it to the police and charge them with a hate crime.

Another coping skill is to learn where to go without being bothered. Going to the school library, hanging out with a teacher, having a place of solitude, joining a club, and sticking close with allies.

LGBT youth should work on bettering themselves so they can get out of any homophobic, bible-belt area. Like the nerds & geeks before them, they should study during their free time; knowing they will one day be more successful than their bullies.

+1 (or more)

Thanks, now this is in my head again (-;

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTQNwMxqM3E&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]