It Gets Better

I'm a longtime fan of Dan Savage, and religiously read his weekly Savage Love column and listen to his podcast.

In his most recent column, he talks about a gay teenager, just 15 years old, who hanged himself in a barn after being taunted by his classmates. His mother found him. Although teenage suicide is a problem for straight and gay alike, according to Dan Savage's article, "gay teens are four times likelier to attempt suicide."

One thing I like about Dan Savage is that if he sees something he doesn't like, he actually goes about trying to change it. He says in the column that he wished he'd had just 5 minutes to talk to this kid, to tell him that being gay in high school is painful, to tell him that it gets better. So he launched a YouTube channel called It Gets Better, which has short clips from gay adults all around the country, talking about how much better life after high school can be. Dan and his partner Terry submitted their own video, posted here.

It's a touching video for so many reasons. To see two people in love, to see them raising a child they both clearly adore. To see their families accepting them for who they are. I was so touched and so moved by watching this video that I wanted to share it. I don't know if anyone even reads this blog any more, but if you are, and you know a teenager who is gay and who is struggling, please pass this along, regardless of your politics.