It's remarkable how much three words can say.
"You're not alone."
"I love you."
"It gets better."
The right three words can be the difference between hope and despair and, miraculously, "it gets better" has, for many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth, meant the difference between life and death.
That's why I worked with 12 of my Senate colleagues over the last two months to record a video for LGBT youth and the It Gets Better Project. You can watch it below:
It Gets Better has quickly morphed from a compelling message into a powerful movement. Organized last fall by nationally syndicated columnist Dan Savage and his partner, Terry Miller, after a rash of tragic suicides by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth, the It Gets Better Project has emerged at the nexus of two LGBT movements: the one that has spent a lifetime trying to convince the world that homosexuality was nothing to fear, and the other that has grown up unable to understand how anyone could think otherwise.
To its credit, It Gets Better is completely nonpartisan and shies away from getting involved in legislative politics.
But as legislators, it is our responsibility to try to build a nation that not only tells our youth that 'it gets better' but actually helps make it better. All of the senators who participated in our video are cosponsors of the bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Most are cosponsors of the Student Non-Discrimination Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or the Uniting American Families Act. All supported the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
As my Senate colleagues and I say in the video, it's up to me, it's up to you, it's up to Democrats, it's up to Republicans, and it's up to every American who believes that equality for all is an equality indifferent to sexual orientation.
The fact is, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth have more reason for optimism about their place in this country than ever. The equality movement has more momentum than it's ever had.
In just one year, national support on same-sex marriage has gone up 11 points. For the first time, a majority of Americans -- 53 percent -- believe same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. That percentage has doubled in just 15 years.
New York's dramatic adoption of same-sex marriage last week showed that not even partisan walls can stand in the way of this movement. Becoming the sixth and largest state to allow same-sex couples to marry, New York did so with a Republican-led Senate and with the support of four Republican Senators.
It was, I believe, a turning point in our nation's fight for equality. Fear is giving way to hope. Bluster is giving way to reason. As Senator Al Franken says in the video, the political climate on equality in Congress has gotten so much better in recent years. There is a swelling feeling that marriage equality is no longer a question of "if" but a question of "when."
It will get better.
Follow Sen. Chris Coons on Twitter: www.twitter.com/chriscoons
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And keep on working on repealing those homophobic laws that contribute to "trickle down" homphobia.
It gets better in Andorra, Austria, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Slovenia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela and Wallis & Futuna.
Sorry kids, but in the United States, it doesn't really get better. These people and their party have no actual political will to fight for your equality. If they did, we wouldn't be behind all those countries listed above.
If you want to live a better life, pick a few countries from above, learn their language(s) and emigrate while you're still young.
I've been impressed by the It Gets Better project since its launch. It's been inspiring to not only the target, LGBT teens who are bullied, but to so many others as well. The IGB project has kind of fueled my passion for marriage equality, and I love reading and listening to all the inspiring stories.
Probably my favorite story is Belo Cipriani's in his book Blind: A Memoir - http://blindamemoir.com
Belo was attacked and blinded at age 26 by his childhood friends for being gay. His story is about dealing with his blindness and creating a new life for himself, and it's really inspiring. It definitely embodies the mission of the IGB project, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the movement.
Anyone with half a brain knows that this is reality for many.
There is an element of flagrant promiscuity in life. Heterosexual or otherwise. That is a bit like saying there is an overabundance of food at Safeway, implying the Vons down the street has none.
As the article states, it's a "movement... Organized by ... Dan Savage". If you don't know who he is and what he stands for Google his name. Nice, right?
People who tell us to wait untill the time is right will never think the time is right. If you accept waiting for your Civil Rights you will never get them. I have been told to wait since Clinton first ran. Force them to do it, shame them into doing it and do not believe anyone who tells you "I'll do it next election cycle".
Since being kind to each other doesn't increase the deficit, I'm sure the Tea Party can have no objection to this. In fact, this campaign should decrease the deficit by helping our teens become stronger and healthier. It's a win-win all around. I expect Paul Ryan and Michelle Bachmann to be joining any day now.
As a transgender female, who has been the recipient of "it got worse" through a job loss, I felt compelled to write in great length a summation of my unique and hopefully accurate perspective and depiction of where we, the "T" , the subset of LGBT are today. It is my hope and desire that you take the time to read it to conclusion and share it with your colleagues so that for the "T" in LGBT, "It Gets Better" serves as more than just rhetoric.
http://transendgender.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/the-state-of-the-transgender-union-in-2011/
Thank you sir and again I salute you.
Dee Omally, USAF served