It Gets Better

http://www.itgetsbetter.org/

itgetsbetter.org is apart of the It Gets Better Project (2010) created by Dan Savage

Website Basics:

Beginning in September 2010, noted columnist Dan Savage created a YouTube video with his partner Terry, to remind youth enduring harassment that it gets better. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone and that it WILL get better. The It Gets Better Project has turned into a worldwide movement, with over 10,000 user-created videos viewed millions of times. The is a place where young people who are lesbian, gay, bi, or trans can see how love and happiness is possible in their future. And it welcomes straight friends and family to visit and support their loved ones. The website connects LGBTQ youth to inspirational stories and information resources by creating videos of people sharing their stories, taking the It Gets Better Project pledge, watching videos of love and support, and providing a link to the Trevor Project,

www.trevorproject.org., which assists teens who may be contemplating suicide.  

Review: 

The It Gets Better project is a fantastic organization that provides honest inspirational messages to LGBTQ Tweens and Teens. The site frankly admits that yes, its hard to be young and apart of the LGBTQ community. Many kids are taunted are even tortured because of who they are, but the site provides a simple yet powerful response to bullying, IT WILL GET BETTER.  The site pays attention to the feelings of the bullied, letting them know that its okay to feel hurt about being bullied, but they don’t need to be ashamed of who they are.  Often when people experience hardship it helps to hear how friends or family dealt with and survived their own hardships.  This site provides just that, a personal bit of wisdom, even if a tween does not have a gay family member or friends, he or she can watch and listen to stories of people who lived through their teen years and came out stronger.

Reading Level: 

Grades 5 and Up