Because High School Is Hell
Suicide is a leading killer of gay teenagers. There are no statistics, because not everybody tells anybody, there's no record of your sexual orientation when you're fifteen or sixteen years old, but teenage peer pressure, bullying, taunting, is powerful, it can be relentless and cruel, and once the kids have labeled you as gay it doesn't matter if you are or not, it doesn't matter what other qualities you might have, you're toast. You're a gay teenager, your parents don't understand you, your friends don't get it, you are isolated and alone and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
Hang in there, kid. It gets better.
That is the message that sex advice columnist Dan Savage is sending to gay teenagers, in a unique and cool project on YouTube. On the "It Gets Better" channel, gay adults tell the camera about their lives now, and let them know that it won't always be like high school. Many of us remember high school as a time of self-consciousness and awkwardness, nobody understands you, everything you say comes out wrong: high school is hell. And that's for those of us who were not especially targets of bullying. Just imagine what it's like to turn the corner of puberty and come to the realization that you're really different from the other kids, with all this other stupid stuff going on. And you know how kids talk, someone gets labeled as gay just for carrying their books a certain way or walking a certain way, and it's torture.
Teenagers should know it's not always going to be like that. Once you leave high school you will find there are others like you. Oh, there will always be the ones who don't grow up, the bigots, but they aren't that hard to avoid. You will find friends, a job -- a church, even -- you can have a family, it's not so bad.
This is a great project. You can watch these videos and feel that these people have been through it, they know about the torture of high school, and they sincerely want to tell kids who are there today that it gets better.
You might know somebody in high school who could benefit from hearing from these adults -- send them the link: HERE. This is a project that seems to have no negative side to it. It is a way to give hope to people who need it, by presenting well-adjusted adults talking about their teen years and how life has gotten better for them. It's brilliant.
Hang in there, kid. It gets better.
That is the message that sex advice columnist Dan Savage is sending to gay teenagers, in a unique and cool project on YouTube. On the "It Gets Better" channel, gay adults tell the camera about their lives now, and let them know that it won't always be like high school. Many of us remember high school as a time of self-consciousness and awkwardness, nobody understands you, everything you say comes out wrong: high school is hell. And that's for those of us who were not especially targets of bullying. Just imagine what it's like to turn the corner of puberty and come to the realization that you're really different from the other kids, with all this other stupid stuff going on. And you know how kids talk, someone gets labeled as gay just for carrying their books a certain way or walking a certain way, and it's torture.
Teenagers should know it's not always going to be like that. Once you leave high school you will find there are others like you. Oh, there will always be the ones who don't grow up, the bigots, but they aren't that hard to avoid. You will find friends, a job -- a church, even -- you can have a family, it's not so bad.
This is a great project. You can watch these videos and feel that these people have been through it, they know about the torture of high school, and they sincerely want to tell kids who are there today that it gets better.
You might know somebody in high school who could benefit from hearing from these adults -- send them the link: HERE. This is a project that seems to have no negative side to it. It is a way to give hope to people who need it, by presenting well-adjusted adults talking about their teen years and how life has gotten better for them. It's brilliant.
posted by JimK at 3:56 PM
24 Comments:
What BS! The word “better” is in the eyes of the beholder. Better to one person is not better to the other person. Isn’t it funny you don’t hear from the gays that have acquired a STD or HIV/AIDS? I bet they wouldn’t say that things will get better! Also it won’t be long until you see video’s of former homosexuals say, “Things will get better”.
"(Sept. 27) -- President Barack Obama today signed into law a chain of tax cuts for small businesses and up to $14 billion in federally funded loans aimed at stimulating job creation, in what's likely to be the government's last bid to boost the economy before the midterm elections.
Enactment of the Small Business Jobs Act, comes at a time when economic growth has yet to generate enough momentum to replace the more than 8 million jobs taken by the recession -- the majority from small businesses. A dearth of commercial loans remains one of the biggest factors holding back the recovery.
"Government can't replace jobs like the millions lost in recession, but it can create incentives for businesses to create new jobs," Obama told a gathering of small-business owners at the White House before signing the bill. "Small businesses produce most of the new jobs in this country. They are the anchors of our main streets. They are part of the promise of America."
The legislation provides $12 billion in tax incentives and establishes a $30 billion fund to increase credit access for small businesses.In recent months, as payroll growth faltered and economic expansion appeared to stall, Obama made passage of the bill one of his top priorities.
Last week Senate Democrats suspended efforts to extend nearly all tax cuts put in place under the administration of George W. Bush. And a Democratic bill that would give companies tax incentives to keep jobs at home rather than outsource them abroad stands little chance of getting a Senate vote.
Two other recent Obama proposals -- new funding for roads, rails and other infrastructure projects and a series of tax credits aimed at increasing business spending -- seem unlikely to be considered by the current Congress."
Barry, small businesses are quaint and everyone likes them but you need to learn to get long with the big guys too if you want us to all get together and get this country going again.
I watched one nauseating video. It's really nice to be showing high school kids videos where two men are recounting how they met and one says: "you have a beautiful mouth" to which the other replies "the better to eat you with."
wow, anon, that's really creepy that two people would love each other, isn't it, you really can't stand that.
I'm just glad I'm not you.
you have to love private schools.
The econ teacher is having the kids read articles about how Cuba and China are attempting to adopt more free market principles, because of the the issues they have with communist principles working (essentially).
Too funny.
Now who thinks at BCC that they might point this out ?
NOT !
How many of you remember Jimmy Carter getting on TV and lecturing Americans about their "malaise"?
Obama is falling into the same trap:
"Admonishing his own party, President Barack Obama says it would be "inexcusable" and "irresponsible" for unenthusiastic Democratic voters to sit out the midterm elections, warning that the consequences could be a squandered agenda for decades.
"People need to shake off this lethargy. People need to buck up," Obama said. The president told Democrats that making change happen is hard and "if people now want to take their ball and go home, that tells me folks weren't serious in the first place."
The midterm elections are in five weeks and polling shows that Republicans, out of power at the White House and on Capitol Hill, have a much more excited base of supporters than Democrats. Obama, campaigning this week in four states, is in a sprint to restore the voter passion that helped him win office.
Yet in his attempt to light a fire under supporters, Obama comes across as fired up himself about how many backers fail to acknowledge the progress he has achieved.
"It is inexcusable for any Democrat or progressive right now to stand on the sidelines in this midterm election, when I need their support." Obama said."
Lecturing the voters never works but a certain type of egotistical and self-righteous politician can't help himself.
Fortunately for Republicans, one such politician is now in the White House.
Additionally, Obama fails to understand that the enthusiasm for him was never because of a progressive boom but more the excitement of having our first black president and the milestone it represented.
The first time only happens once, however, and now the time has arrived for substance rather than symbolism.
You are so full of vitriol and hatred, Anon. Were you abused when you were a child (by a relative per chance, or a parent) or just exposed to values and behaviors that were disrespectful, repugnant, and intolerant of anybody who wasn't just like you?
So sad...and the Bible says there is a special place in Hell for sad creatures like yourself.
I saw this video before. It's a great one. It still stinks that kids have to endure all of this Hell because people like AnonBigot are insecure who they/he are/is.
Okay I am sorry.
If the quote about the "I love your mouth" is in that video, it is not beautiful or demonstrating love, it is simply RUDE.
An older couple, friend of my parents, occasionally comes over for dinner.
The wife someone thinks it is cute to drop sexual innuendos at her husband in front of everyone.
this kind of behavior is quite simply impolite. We shouldn't be teaching kids it is okay.
HELLO !
"the Bible says there is a special place in Hell for sad creatures like yourself"
could you share your scriptural reference?
would love to read the passage to which you refer
Carter worked hard to combat the continuing economic woes of inflation and unemployment. By the end of his administration, he could claim an increase of nearly eight million jobs and a decrease in the budget deficit, measured in percentage of the gross national product. Unfortunately, inflation and interest rates were at near record highs, and efforts to reduce them caused a short recession.
Carter could point to a number of achievements in domestic affairs. He dealt with the energy shortage by establishing a national energy policy and by decontrolling domestic petroleum prices to stimulate production. He prompted Government efficiency through civil service reform and proceeded with deregulation of the trucking and airline industries. He sought to improve the environment. His expansion of the national park system included protection of 103 million acres of Alaskan lands. To increase human and social services, he created the Department of Education, bolstered the Social Security system, and appointed record numbers of women, blacks, and Hispanics to Government jobs.
In foreign affairs, Carter set his own style. His championing of human rights was coldly received by the Soviet Union and some other nations. In the Middle East, through the Camp David agreement of 1978, he helped bring amity between Egypt and Israel. He succeeded in obtaining ratification of the Panama Canal treaties. Building upon the work of predecessors, he established full diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and completed negotiation of the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union.
There were serious setbacks, however. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the suspension of plans for ratification of the SALT II pact. The seizure as hostages of the U. S. embassy staff in Iran dominated the news during the last 14 months of the administration. The consequences of Iran's holding Americans captive, together with continuing inflation at home, contributed to Carter's defeat in 1980. Even then, he continued the difficult negotiations over the hostages. Iran finally released the 52 Americans the same day Carter left office.
yeah, they were scared Ronald Reagan would nuke 'em
anyone with that description of the Carter obviously wasn't around
America was miserable and in decline
Reagan brought us back
That narrative about Carter is from WhiteHouse.gov
( http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jimmycarter )
and it is a fact that Jimmy Carter created more jobs in his four years as President than George W. Bush did in his eight years.
BTW, the CBO evaluated job creation ideas and found tax cuts for the rich, pledged by the GOP to be a good way to create the jobs we need, to be dead last at getting the job done to create jobs to reduce unemployment.
Interesting new poll from Pew:
"Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions.
On average, Americans correctly answer 16 of the 32 religious knowledge questions on the survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. Atheists and agnostics average 20.9 correct answers. Jews and Mormons do about as well, averaging 20.5 and 20.3 correct answers, respectively. Protestants as a whole average 16 correct answers; Catholics as a whole, 14.7. Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons perform better than other groups on the survey even after controlling for differing levels of education.
...
The survey also finds widespread confusion over the line between teaching and preaching in public schools. Out of a total of 41 knowledge questions (32 about religion and nine testing general knowledge) the single question that respondents most frequently get right is whether U.S. Supreme Court rulings allow teachers to lead public school classes in prayer. Nine-in-ten (89%) correctly say this is not allowed. But among the questions most often answered incorrectly is whether public school teachers are permitted to read from the Bible as an example of literature. Fully two-thirds of people surveyed (67%) also say “no” to this question, even though the Supreme Court has clearly stated that the Bible may be taught for its “literary and historic” qualities, as long as it is part of a secular curriculum.2 On a third question along these lines, just 36% of the public knows that comparative religion classes may be taught in public schools. Together, this block of questions suggests that many Americans think the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are tighter than they really are."
"Jimmy Carter created more jobs in his four years as President than George W. Bush did in his eight years."
And, yet, Carter was rejected across the board by Americans on all sides of the political spectrum.
Ted Kennedy came close to taking the Dem nomination from him and civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy spoke for many liberals when he endorsed Ronald Reagan saying "There ain't no way in the world that brother Reagan can do us any worse than Jimmy Carter."
What were they all talking about?
"the CBO evaluated job creation ideas and found tax cuts for the rich, pledged by the GOP to be a good way to create the jobs we need, to be dead last at getting the job done to create jobs to reduce unemployment."
first of all, no one is talking about cutting taxes for the rich
Republicans want to keep the rate as is and Democrats think we should raise taxes on them
second there are many way sto have less impact on job creation
think of a cash-for-clunkers program where most of the cars bought were foreign
creating jobs somewhere, I guess
"Interesting new poll from Pew:
"Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions.""
It is indeed interesting. Probably because groups that feel marginalized are more interested in delineating the differences.
Also interesting that atheists, professing not to believe, are so obsessed with the topic
The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and to agree with Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck.
Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.
"I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"
In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through and Rush annoyed the cows so much that they wouldn't give any milk."
Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons and drive them across the border where they are simply left to fend for themselves.
"A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley Cabernet, though."
When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races.
In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half- dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the '50s. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very suspicious about their age," an official said.
Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael Moore movies. "I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"
In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Biden met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals. A source close to President Obama said, "We're going to have some Paul McCartney and Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might even put some endangered species on postage stamps. The President is determined to reach out," he said. The Herald will be interested to see if Obama can actually raise Mary from the dead in time for the concert!
Christine O'Donnell, the chatty Republican candidate for senator in Delaware, is no laughing matter, says Beau Biden, the state's attorney general.
"She should be taken seriously," the son of Vice President Joe Biden tells CNN. Many Delaware Democrats wanted to Biden to seek his father's old Senate seat, but he deferred, chose to run for AG, and is supporting Democratic Senate candidate Chris Coons.
O'Donnell, a Tea Party fave who is also backed by Sarah Palin, has become nationally known for remarks she made in the 1990s about masturbation, and saying she once dabbled in witchcraft. "It's not about what you see on the national television shows," Biden said, "it's about where O'Donnell stands on issues."
When asked if he thought his father might run for president in 2016. "He's committed to making sure Democrats are elected on Nov. 2 and that a Democrat is elected president in 2012," he said of his dad.
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama defended his economic policies Wednesday as he faced tough questions from skeptical Americans less than five weeks before congressional elections that threaten end the Democrats' grip on Congress.
Holding the latest in a series of backyard meetings with middle-class voters in Iowa, Obama heard one small businessman's fears that his tax plans could "strangle" job creation. The president also fielded concerns about high unemployment and the impact of his healthcare overhaul.
It was a marked contrast to the enthusiastic crowds that greeted Obama in 2008, and showed the obstacles his Democratic Party faces in the November 2 elections.
Obama acknowledged the country faced "hard decisions" to shore up the struggling economy and rein in huge budget deficits.
"We're not going to be able to solve our big problems unless we honestly address them," he told several dozen people gathered at an Iowa home.
One questioner brought up her 24-year-old son, who graduated from college and campaigned for Obama in 2008 but has been unable to find a full-time job. "He and many of his friends are struggling. They are losing their hope, which is a message that you inspired them with," she said.
A small businessman who runs a promotional products firm expressed concern about Obama's proposal to extend Bush-era tax cuts only on personal income of $250,000 or less, and also bemoaned policies he said would discourage hiring.
"As the government gets more and more involved in business and gets more involved in taxes to pay for an awful lot of programs, what you're finding is ... you're sort of strangling the engine that does create the jobs," the man said.
Obama defended his tax proposal, which he says will help middle-class earners while avoiding what he sees as unneeded tax breaks for wealthier Americans. The issue sparked heated debate among the group.
"I'd like to keep taxes low so that you can create more jobs. But I also have to make sure that we are paying our bills and that we're not ... putting off debt for the future generation," Obama desperately told his questioner.
Representative Eric Cantor, a Republican whose Virginia district Obama was due to visit later Wednesday, sought to pre-empt the president's arrival with a call for him to support a bill that "will stave off tax hikes for every American."
Obama drew more than 25,000 people to a rally Tuesday at the University of Wisconsin, where he appealed to young voters, who generally tend to favor Democrats but are not likely to go to the polls. The mood was reminiscent of his triumphant rallies late in his 2008 presidential campaign.
Questioners at Wednesday's backyard gathering were more pointed than he had faced at college campus events.
Iowa traditionally stages the first nominating contest for presidential candidates and is in many ways a bellwether for the national mood. A poll in the Des Moines Register found that 56 percent of likely voters in Iowa, which Obama won in 2008, said they were dissatisfied with him, while 40 percent approved of his job performance.
The tea party has emerged as a potent force in politics and a center of gravity within the Republican Party, with a large majority of Republicans showing an affinity for the movement that has repeatedly bucked the GOP leadership this year, a new WSJ/NBC News poll has found.
71% of Republicans described themselves as tea-party supporters.
Already, the movement has ousted a number of incumbents and candidates backed by party leaders in this year's GOP primaries amid complaints that they lacked commitment to small-government principles. The poll findings suggest that the rising influence of the movement will drive the GOP to become less willing to seek common ground on policy.
"These are essentially conservative Republicans who are very ticked-off people," said Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted the survey with Democratic pollster Peter Hart.
This movement "isn't a small little segment, but it is a huge part of what's driving 2010," Mr. Hart said.
Republicans retain major advantages, including a fired-up base. Two-thirds of GOP voters say they are intensely interested in the election and are likely to turn out at the polls.
The tea party is a major driver of the enthusiasm gap, with three-quarters of supporters saying they are intensely interested in the election.
President Obama's ratings remain low, with 46% of Americans approving of his job performance. Only 22% take a positive view of House Speaker Pelosi.
The findings show how the tea-party movement has grown over the past two years from a loose confederation of activist groups into a marquee brand within the GOP that has upended a number of primaries in recent months.
Those include the defeats of incumbent Republican Sens. Bennett in Utah and Murkowski in Alaska, and the victory in Delaware of Christine O'Donnell, who was backed by the tea party. O'Donnell upset a liberal Republican who was aggressively backed by the party establishment.
The survey showed that tea-party supporters are interested in protesting "business as usual" in Washington. The most popular issue motivating them is cutting government spending and debt, followed by reducing the size of government.
South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley beat three sitting officeholders to win the GOP gubernatorial nomination in August.
Republicans, the survey shows, welcome the change within the party.
"The tea party has to a certain extent scared the Republican Party," said one poll respondent, Tim Bahmer, a 44-year-old auto mechanic from Michigan. "From what I've seen of what the tea party is saying, I think that could be the change [Republicans] could benefit from."
Another respondent, Scott Gonzalez, a 33-year-old Republican from Illinois, said tea-party supporters "tend to be fiscally conservative, which I like."
The movement's greater strength within the party could be significant beyond 2010, as the party looks toward choosing a nominee in 2012 to challenge Mr. Obama.
One beneficiary could be former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who is viewed positively by about two-thirds of tea-party supporters, making her more popular in the movement than other potential presidential candidates.
Majorities of tea-party supporters also feel positively about former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
The poll found that the country's uncertain economy continues to be the overriding issue in the midterm elections.
Seven in 10 adults felt the country remains in recession. And among people who said the recession had a major impact on them and their family, more said they preferred a GOP-controlled Congress to a Democratic-run Congress. One in four adults thought the economy would get worse over the next 12 months. Of that group, two-thirds were people with an affinity for the tea-party movement.
The U.S. House voted to adjourn today by a narrow vote of 210-209. The tie-breaker vote was cast by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Thirty-nine Democrats sided with all Republicans in opposing the Adjournment Resolution, and said a pre-election vote on extending tax cuts to families had yet to be addressed.
House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, excoriated the Speaker for calling an adjournment:
“A vote to adjourn this Congress without an up-or-down vote to stop all the tax hikes is a vote to raise taxes and destroy more jobs. American families and small businesses deserve better. This Congress has a chance to help end uncertainty for families and small businesses by stopping all the tax hikes set to take effect on January 1. If Democratic Leaders leave town without stopping all of the tax hikes, they are turning their backs on the American people.”
Political pundits say that the quick adjournment was to quell an intraparty uprising. At last count, 47 Democrats – enough to give Republicans a victory – said they would vote with the Republicans on extending the tax cuts.
Rep. John Adler, D-N.J., sent a letter to Pelosi on Tuesday, strongly supporting the a vote on tax cut extensions.
“Raising taxes on capital gains and dividends could discourage individuals and businesses from saving and investing,” he wrote. “We urge you to maintain the current tax rate for both dividend and long-term capital gains taxes.”
Damned, "Anonymous"...("could you share your scriptural reference?
would love to read the passage to which you refer")and I mistakenly thought you have memorized every word of the scripture, down to the last period. It's your Bible, not mine. You should be able to quote chapter and verse; after all people like you are very fond of condemning others, using words from the Bible (excepting those that are actually ascribed to Christ himself) to support your judgments about other people's lives.
Most Christians read the Bible like the rest of us read a software licensing agreement. They scroll to the bottom and click "Agree."
I'm a different Anon than the one who asked for the scriptural reference, but I've been interested in seeing it too. I don't go to church, so I have no minister or reverend or priest to ask. However, I DO have a bible!
So, while I was waiting, I searched and searched and found a passage about the millstone around the neck, where the worst of punishment is waiting for those who corrupt the innocent-- maybe that's like the folks who take their kids to the Folsom Street porn parades.
Another section. Roman's Chapter 1, speaks of men having sex with men, women with women as being in line for a recompense appropriate to their perversion of God's "limited" ideas of natural sexuality.
Are these the the sections that contain your "special place in Hell" reference?"
"I mistakenly thought you have memorized every word of the scripture, down to the last period."
well, you were indeed mistaken
as a matter, I ask people about scripture passages all the time
so why don't you tell us which passage of scripture you were referring to?
say, you weren't just making stuff up, were you?
you seem awfully touchy about the whole thing
"Anonymous"
You asked: "so why don't you tell us which passage of scripture you were referring to?"
From your Bible:
"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire."
—Matthew 5:22
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