+267 Even though the 'It Gets Better' Project is wonderful, it seems strange that it only applies to LGBT. I mean, straight teens also get bullied and take their life, amirite?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Just because someone is part of a minority doesn't mean they deserve special treatment. I once saw something about an "End Violence against Women." Talk about sexist.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

lolwut There's nothing sexist about it. Statically, women are more likely to be victims of violence, and there are organisations for violence against men.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I hope you're not serious. They talk with them about problems that involve getting bullied because of their sexuality. Straight teens also get help but it doesn't involve their sexuality.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Right, but why does it have to involve their sexuality in order to matter?

by Anonymous 3 years ago

Exactly what PurpleZebra said. If a teen is bullied for some other reason, there are plenty of projects and resources for help. The "It Gets Better" project is one of the few that specifically wants to help with kids who are being bullied because of their sexuality.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

But why does sexuality have to be a main focus? It's not the only cause. All projects and resources should be open to all people. Nobody should refuse to help people in the LGBT community, but not the other way around either.

by Anonymous 3 years ago

I was bullied all throughout middle school, and no one did anything. They said it was "just how girls are at the age". A classmate was bullied- who happened to be gay, but the bullying was not targeted at his sexuality, but rather his weight- and his bullies got suspended. I agree we need to help gay kids. But we don't need to reverse discriminate.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I don't mean to sounds cynical, but have they made such a big thing about it because its fashionable at the moment to be LBGTQA? im not saying there's anything wrong with that, in fact its good, but still...

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Yes, fashionable. That's what I'd call it. -.- I know you weren't trying to diss it, but being LBGT isn't a phase, isn't something you choose. You basically said something offensive, then said, "Oh, but no offence." :@

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Definitely... I'm sure there's a lot of people who are LGBT and it is great that they're being accepted but I think there's also a number of people who will find they really aren't. Which is fine! They're just exploring themselves to find whatever the truth is. But yeah. Fashionable is the word.

by Anonymous 3 years ago

Also, if you read up about it, it isn't just about bullying - it's about the fact that many LGBT teens don't know what their life is going to be like as an LGBT adult. Like, in some cases, schools, parents and churches purposely keep teens from seeing or having good lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender role models. And when you're young, and you don't know of any other people like you, it's hard to imagine that your life is going to get any better, and that's what this was mainly about - that even if you're being bullied at school or by your parents know, you can be LBGT and grow up and have a happy and healthy life - and the gay adults who are making videos are telling them that. "We went through the same things you are - and it does end".

by Anonymous 12 years ago

And, yeah, I agree anti-bullying projects for all kids are wonderful, but It Gets Better being specifically for homosexual, bisexual and transgender youth - all of which are higher than usual suicide rates - isn't discriminating, because it was specifically for gender and sexuality minorities. Just like, if I did an awareness campaign on say, diabetes, I'm not saying other conditions like cancer don't matter, I'm just focusing on resources and information specifically for people who have diabetes. And, like I said, it was more to show kids that there are homosexual, bisexual and transgender adults who do have normal lives. Of course heterosexual and cisgender kids get bullied, but they don't get bullied specifically for being heterosexual and cisgender, and they have billions of het and cis role models.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

(Sorry, I know I'm commenting a lot on this post.) But, yeah, even thought it's creator Dan Savage is a massive arsehole, it's still a good project. It wasn't started specifically for suicide, but it was started after the suicides, if that makes sense. http://www.avclub.com/articles/september-22-2010,45429/ "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. But gay adults aren’t allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don’t bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models. [continued]

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don’t have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids. So here’s what you can do, GBVWS: Make a video. Tell them it gets better. I’ve launched a channel on YouTube to host these videos. My normally camera-shy husband and I already posted one. We both went to Christian schools, and we were both bullied—he had it a lot worse than I did—and we are living proof that it gets better. We don’t dwell too much on the past. Instead, we talk mostly about all the meaningful things in our lives now—our families, our friends (gay and straight), the places we’ve gone and things we’ve experienced—that we would’ve missed out on if we’d killed ourselves then. “You gotta give ’em hope,” Harvey Milk said. [continued]

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Today we have the power to give these kids hope. We have the tools to reach out to them and tell our stories and let them know that it does get better. Online support groups are great, GLSEN does amazing work, the Trevor Project is invaluable. But many LGBT youth can’t picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can’t imagine a future for themselves. So let’s show them what our lives are like. Let’s show them what the future may hold in store for them." So, yeah, sorry about the long comment, here's a brilliant song about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTQNwMxqM3E

by Anonymous 12 years ago