President Obama is the latest public person to contribute to Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better Campaign,” on the heels of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. In the video (above), the president says that “We’ve got to dispel the myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage — that it’s some inevitable part of growing up.” He notes that although he doesn’t know what it’s like to be bullied for being gay, “I do know what it’s like to grow up feeling that sometimes you don’t belong. It’s tough. And for a lot of kids, the sense of being alone or apart – I know can just wear on you. And when you’re teased or bullied, it can seem like somehow you brought it on yourself — for being different, or for not fitting in with everybody else.”
The video and message is a powerful one, especially since it’s coming from the President of the United States. I am incredibly pleased that he chose to participate in this important project and hope that his words have an impact on those gay men and women who may not believe that “it gets better.” However, there is a part of me that is also bothered by his participation, as well as the participation of anyone else who does not actively support gay marriage. Keep reading »
