On September 21, following a spate of suicides by teens who were victims of anti-gay bullying, sex and relationship advice columnist Dan Savage launched "It Gets Better." The project uses YouTube to feature videos from thousands of people from all over the world--with one common message: things can be tough for queer teens, but it does get better.
In just a few weeks, the "It Gets Better" YouTube channel has received millions of page views and thousands of submitted videos.
"We're totally overwhelmed by the response," Savage told the Associated Press last week. "The most gratifying are parents sitting down at the computer and watching with their kids. So many kids, they're bullied at school by their peers, they go home to homophobic parents who bully them, and then they're dragged to church on Sunday for more bullying from the pulpit."
Bruce Ortiz, a 28-year-old Chicagoan who works in marketing, told the AP he tried to kill himself when he was a freshman in college. After coming out to his parents, healing was slow but steady.
"It's not worth the attempt," Ortiz says in his video. "Just go out there, find your support system, find that support system within yourself, because life does get better."
On Thursday, Chicago's Gay Men's Chorus added their video to the site, writing:
"CGMC is all about making music and having fun, but it's ultimately about showing the world -- and any abused gay kids who need to see that there's something to look forward to -- that gay adults can and DO live incredibly wonderful lives. It really can get better!"