it gets better :)

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Growing up isn’t easy. Many young people face daily tormenting and bullying, leading them to feel like they have nowhere to turn. This is especially true for LGBT kids and teens, who often hide their sexuality for fear of bullying. Without other openly gay adults and mentors in their lives, they can't imagine what their future may hold. In many instances, gay and lesbian adolescents are taunted — even tortured — simply for being themselves. Justin Aaberg. Billy Lucas. Cody Barker. Asher Brown. Seth Walsh. Raymond Chase. Tyler Clementi. They were tragic examples of youth who could not believe that it does actually get better. While many of these teens couldn’t see a positive future for themselves, we can. The It Gets Better Project was created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone — and it WILL get better.

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Dan Savage Dan Savage's nationally syndicated column, "Savage Love," runs in twenty-eight newspapers in the United States and Canada. He is the author of "Dear Dan," an online advice column for ABCNEWS.com, and is a regular contributor to This American Life on public radio. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine , Travel & Leisure , Out magazine, and Poz magazine. Savage Love , a collection of his advice columns. He and his partner, Terry, founded ‘It Gets Better Project’.

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Kesha Celebrities supporting the It Gets Better Project President Obama Adam Lambert Anne Hathaway Justin Bieber Adam Levine

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Did you know…. Students hear anti-gay epithets 25 times a day, and teachers fail to respond to these comments 97% of the time. -Gay Lesbian Straight Educator’s Network. Gay and lesbian youth are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than other youths, and 30 percent of all completed youth suicides are related to the issue of sexual identity. -Report to the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide More than 91 percent of LGBT students say they hear homophobic slurs or expressions frequently or often.-GLSEN 2003 National School Climate Survey More than 64 percent of LGBT students say they feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation. -GLSEN 2003 National School Climate Survey

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Please take the it gets better pledge at www.itgetsbetter.org 