Dan Savage’s YouTube Channel for Gay Teens

We’ve been extremely disturbed by the recent surge in publicized suicides of young gay teens in the US – including Asher Brown (age 13), Seth Walsh (age 13), Justin Aaberg (age 15), Billy Lucas (age 15), Tyler Clementi (age 18) and Raymond Chase (19). Of course, these are the ones we know about as there are many other young gay and lesbian teens who are bullied, harassed and abused on a daily basis. We strongly encourage young teens who are feeling helpless and alone to turn to Dan Savage‘s new YouTube channel – “It Gets Better”.

Each video on the channel will feature role model sharing personal experiences that illustrate that life for gays and lesbians improves beyond high school. This is a theme that has come up in Savage’s columns and podcasts with regularity. Gay teens have written or called Savage in distress, saying they feel isolated and discriminated against by their peers — especially in rural schools. Savage has generally responded that they just need to stay strong and hopeful because when they become adults they’ll have the option of moving to more progressive communities and joining more accepting social groups. And, we are also heartened to see this video by a gay Muslim teen. You can also contribute to the Trevor Project, a 24-hour suicide hotline for gay teens.