It Gets Better

October 25, 2010 12:00 pm Posted in Reality Avery - UNC Chapel Hill g+ page

YouTube trends range from the adorable (kittens and babies, anyone?) to the grimace-worthy (FAILblog’s YouTube channel has over 1 million subscribers). Recently, though, a trend has popped up that is downright inspirational- the It Gets Better Project.

I didn’t hear about the campaign when Dan Savage, a gay columnist and activist, first started it a month ago in response to Billy Lucas’ death. Lucas, a 15-year-old high school freshman from Indiana, hung himself in his grandmother’s barn when the endless name-calling and physical abuse by bullies at his school became too much. Savage had a message for any gay teenager who was considering similar action- it gets better. The feelings of loneliness, worthlessness, and confusion fade away, and so do the close-minded bullies. He and his partner posted a video describing their life together to try to show teens that a happy, gay lifestyle is attainable, even if it seems impossible now.

Since then, hundreds and hundreds of people have posted their own “It gets better” videos. One features high school teachers who can’t show their faces out of fear of being fired by their district. Another (and the first one I saw, it was sent to me on two different blogs I subscribe to) shows a gay city councilman addressing his colleagues, urging them to take bullying seriously. Others feature celebrities, including Jason Derulo, Vinny from Jersey Shore, Kesha and Adam Lambert. Most though, are average people, using nothing more than a webcam and an Internet connection. LGBT or allies, who have lived through bullying and know that things change and the tormentors go away.

There are some mind-boggling stats about the amount of content on YouTube- their website advertises that “every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded.” Admittedly, most of it is crap. Some of it is educational, or useful, or a means of procrastination, or just weirdly… amazing. (Charlie the unicorn anyone? Amirite?)

But every once in a while, YouTube hits upon all that it can be – a way for people to come together and make a difference. It is a platform where the President of the United States has just as much power as 20-year-old gay student recording from his dormitory.

I spent my whole afternoon watching these videos (it gets addicting), and at some point it stopped being about commiserating with gay youth. I started thinking about the bullying I’ve been through, nothing too different from what just about everyone who has stepped foot into the tiled, artificially-lighted confines of a middle or high school experiences. I started thinking about the insecurities those unkind words gave birth to, and how now, as a college student, away from the sources of the comments, I am beginning to finally toss them aside. Surrounded by more diverse people, who are more mature and accepting, the words are no longer on replay in my head. It got better.

So if you need a little inspiration or just want to see what everyone else is talking about, here are my favorites:

The Original