At the LA Times Festival of Books (LINK), I interviewed the writer Dan Savage about the It Gets Better Project. So far, tens of thousands of people, including many celebrities and even the President of the United States, have made videos encouraging gay children and teenagers that, even after being bullied, life will improve for them in adulthood. The campaign has reached all over the world, and he’s released a book with essays by over 20 major writers.
After the suicide of 15-year-old Billy Lucas, who was bullied for his perceived sexual orientation, Savage started the It Gets Better Project to give LGBT teens hope, and to have adults share coping mechanisms and illuminating a path by telling how they got through their own childhoods.
For Savage, the book is important, as well as getting it into libraries, since not every child has their own internet access or can risk an incriminating browser history. The project is creating a curriculum for teachers, maintaining the website, and doing outreach. To get involved, visit http://www.itgetsbetter.org/page/s/pledge.
- Brian Felsen, President, BookBaby
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Watch video of Dan talking about the It Gets Better Project:
Or… here’s the whole interview!
