It Gets Better ~ Favorite Videos

[angelone]

Enough is enough! When is it the time when oppressed people stop taking it and reach for a gun and shoot these bastards? All this oppression is only teaching us to be experts in evasion and not in confronting these ass-holes and teaching them a thing or two. Stop crying and do something! If we kill enough of them, maybe they will wake up and stop abusing us. And even if they kill us, at least the abuse will stop for eternity.

 

[tampa24]

I'm so glad that many of you are finding these testimonials as moving as I am. It takes great courage on the part of many of the contributors (including those on our very forum) to share their personal life experiences. For all those of the Trevor Project who have shared your very personal stories with the world, in hopes of saving lives, we salute you. Some of these stories are so personal and at times haunting, that I will gladly carry them with me for the rest of my life.

 

[tampa24]

Hey Everyone,

I told you at the end of August on another thread about the death of another gay child due to bullying. Anderson Cooper did a tribute to Jamey Rodemeyer who died at 14 y/o. Sadly he is one of many who didn't make it through high school. For those who want to see the Anderson Cooper video you can find the link on the "We Lost Another Child to Bullying" thread. What was even more heartbreaking about the loss of Jamey was that he had actually done his own "It Gets Better" video encouraging his peers to stay strong in the face of bullying. Then he too lost the battle... He looks so young. And the world lost him far too soon.

His "It Gets Better" video is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pb1CaGMdWk

While this video is very difficult to watch I post it now becasue it plays into a recent news story that has a more hopeful and positive outcome.

 

[tampa24]

Now, For Some Good News...

There was another man out there who heard of the loss of Jamey Rodemeyer and was as horrified by it as the rest of us. He says that his decision to come out publicly was a direct result of Jamey's suicide. He was deeply affected by it. When piled on to all the other tragic suicides of gay children and teens this year he felt he needed to do something.

His name is Zachary Quinto. Many of us in here know him as one of the actors from the last Star Trek movie.

Since coming out Quinto has made his own "It Gets Better" video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0OeSs870ys

 

[Beth]

I continue to hope and work toward a society whereby we all admire eachother's qualities.
Today I came in contact with about 10 people: I physically helped 3 of them, called one, texted 2, facebooked 2 and chatted with the others. As I interacted with them, I tried to express to them how special they are...and how special we all are!
Tomorrow I will work on this again; imagine, by the end of the month, I will be in contact with some 120 people...can't wait!

 

[cumrag27]

Hey Everyone,

I told you at the end of August on another thread about the death of another gay child due to bullying. Anderson Cooper did a tribute to Jamey Rodemeyer who died at 14 y/o. Sadly he is one of many who didn't make it through high school. For those who want to see the Anderson Cooper video you can find the link on the "We Lost Another Child to Bullying" thread. What was even more heartbreaking about the loss of Jamey was that he had actually done his own "It Gets Better" video encouraging his peers to stay strong in the face of bullying. Then he too lost the battle... He looks so young. And the world lost him far too soon.

His "It Gets Better" video is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pb1CaGMdWk

While this video is very difficult to watch I post it now becasue it plays into a recent news story that has a more hopeful and positive outcome.

I continue to hope and work toward a society whereby we all admire eachother's qualities.
Today I came in contact with about 10 people: I physically helped 3 of them, called one, texted 2, facebooked 2 and chatted with the others. As I interacted with them, I tried to express to them how special they are...and how special we all are!
Tomorrow I will work on this again; imagine, by the end of the month, I will be in contact with some 120 people...can't wait!

Dear Tampa and Beth,

Thank you for showing these links and for reminding us all that there is an endless amount of work to do to address this most-negative of realities existing in our national culture. While I think many civil rights advocates would not prefer this comparison, in my opinion the problem with bullying is not that much different from the racists contributing to discrimination against blacks, only bullies are now an equal opportunity proposition dolled out to all races, creeds, sexes, and sexual orientation. Just like the KKK attempting to link their movement from passages in the Bible, so too imuch of the bullying against gays gets its impetus from various religions teaching homosexuality is an abomination and the ultimate sin.


Sincerely,


Stimpy

 

[cumrag27]

Continuation of my previous post

Dear Tampa and Beth,

We have to ban together to support "Hate Crime" legislation and promote more schools take seriously the bullying problem. If we promote other positive solutions, then we don't lower our cause to the same level as the perpetrators of these hate-filled crimes. Further involving school boards, courts, and law enforcement for the sake of the victims is our challenge. But, additionally, if we are to get support from the whole community, we must make every reasonable effort to provide kids proper role models as they are just beginning to form their sexual identity.

I think of when I was in middle school, how I needed someone to be that positive role model of a responsible gay man. Instead, I could only say to myself back then when this possibility of me being gay presented itself, surely God would not do this to me-making me gay-with all of my other problem too. That was too cruel to imagine at the time. I knew there was a "cost" to be paid for being "Gay" even if I didn't exactly understand what was involved sexually speaking. I just knew it was the subject of much ridicule and hurt feelings.

So, I understand why people want to get revenge but this is not the way to solve such a widespread and deeply embedded problem. Just think of the sarcastic parent that as a matter of habit addresses their child in a disparaging way with an inference that this boy is not exactly "all male". Think about when coaches routinely refer to their male students as "girls" to supposedly "toughen them up"! And there are countless other messages in the media that promote this same bullshit! ANY HOPE FOR A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN NEGATIVE ATTITUDES NATIONWIDE IS GOING TO REQUIRE A LOT OF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US DOING OUR PART IN WHATEVER CAPACITY WE CAN HAVE!

So if we truly are caring for these unfortunate victims of bullying, disproportionally speaking -- assumed to be "Gay" or "Bisexual", this problem is not going to go away by merely promoting with some well meaning "It Gets Better" videos or listening to some Lady Gaga songs.

As MLK promoted using "non-violent methods" in addressing racial prejudice in the 1950's and later, I feel we too should learn from history for our own cause and avoid any violent approach to dealing with this wide-spread problem.


Sincerely,


Stimpy

 

[Beth]

Enough is enough! When is it the time when oppressed people stop taking it and reach for a gun and shoot these bastards? All this oppression is only teaching us to be experts in evasion and not in confronting these ass-holes and teaching them a thing or two. Stop crying and do something! If we kill enough of them, maybe they will wake up and stop abusing us. And even if they kill us, at least the abuse will stop for eternity.

Abuse never really stops until it is taught that we all are of value! You are obviously in pain and I am sorry for that. I hope tomorrow will be better! I will be thinking positive thoughts and hoping that you will not have to hide or shun who you really are...I am glad you are here!

 

[angelone]

I'm currently dealing with a family whose son, age 23, committed suicide. They said that he had everything: a beautiful girl friend of 7 years, a great job - pulls in 3 grand a month, his own house and a brand new car. He had a wonderful family and extended family, friends, and great co-workers. So what's the problem? His sister confided in me that he had "feelings" that he had difficulty dealing with. He loved his family but he hated the life he was living - he felt very much alone amid family and friends. The unspoken secret is he wanted a life where he could love another man, but he didn't know how to break out of the life he was living without hurting his family, friends and especially his girl friend. He chose to kill himself rather than live a divided life which was the source of his misery and lonliness.

 

[tampa24]

I'm currently dealing with a family whose son, age 23, committed suicide. They said that he had everything: a beautiful girl friend of 7 years, a great job - pulls in 3 grand a month, his own house and a brand new car. He had a wonderful family and extended family, friends, and great co-workers. So what's the problem? His sister confided in me that he had "feelings" that he had difficulty dealing with. He loved his family but he hated the life he was living - he felt very much alone amid family and friends. The unspoken secret is he wanted a life where he could love another man, but he didn't know how to break out of the life he was living without hurting his family, friends and especially his girl friend. He chose to kill himself rather than live a divided life which was the source of his misery and lonliness.

I missed this post Angelonbe because I was on vacation at the time. Thank you for sharing this. What a tragedy for this fine young man and his whole family. That feeling of being trapped in life circumstances that you can't escape from. The horrifying thought (true or not) that most if not all your "loving family" and every "true friend" you have ever had, would drop you in a heartbeat and treat you like a pariah...at the mere mention of the love that dare not speak its name.

The way out of this cycle is just by getting more people to realize that gay people are just that. They are people leading normal lives like everyone else beyond the fact that they have a unique sexual orientation. My next post will speak to that in more detail.

 

[tampa24]

I went back to the Youtube site today and found another video that I think is definitely worth watching. I was deeply affected by this one. The majority of the "It Gets Better" videos are trying to talk our youth out of suicide. They try to convince them that if they can just last through high school (and perhaps college) that they have so much to look forward to in life. Which is true of course. While the people I am about to show you would agree on the overwhelming need to prevent suicides, they are also uniquely blunt about the daily trials and tribulations of being a gay adult.

For straight people who think gays have all kinds of acceptance nowadays they still don't know the emotional struggles we face on a regular basis. Our hopes, our dreams, our worries and our heartaches are still part of the American Experience that few people understand or are even aware of. Although these people are Americans I think they speak pretty well for most of us in the Western World.

When I was a small child in the 70's I watched evangelists like Oral Roberts on television and most everyone considered him a great man. His reputation was tarnished a little bit later in life by some of his more controversial actions and statements. The evangelicals today are even more politically involved than they were in decades past.

The man you are about to hear from in this first video tells an intensely personal story. Fasten your seatbelts because this is a rough ride. He has a degree in English Literature. He is nervous, passionate and very bright. He speaks fast so it may take some concentration to follow him. Make sure you follow the video all the way to the end because there is more after he finishes speaking.

I was absolutely blown away by who this person is. I'm sure that many of you will be also. This is NOT a story you will be reading about in a local evangelical newsletter. For reasons that will become obvious.

Please let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYa0wi4XzeI

The fact that Oral Roberts had a deceased gay son and a gay grandson and was news to me when I found this "It Gets Better" video several months ago. You can watch the original in the link above if you haven't already seen it and would like to.

Randy Potts (Roberts) has done an interview for Details magazine and has recently done an interview on CNN where he talks about his family, his grandfather, and how he sees his life as a gay man. He is also promoting his "Gay Agenda" tour as he goes through the very conservative "Bible Belt" areas of the country. The idea being I guess to show that gay people lead pretty normal mundane lives outside of their sexual identities. lol

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/...dson-promotes-gay-agenda-tour/?iref=allsearch

 

[tampa24]

This just goes to show you how surfing the net can lead you to unexpected and joyful surprises. Here is another (amateurish but good) interview with Randy Potts where he speaks with such respect and affection for his adopted "uncle" the Bishop Carlton Pearson. A man who alienated many of the Roberts family and was kicked off the board of Oral Roberts University when he felt a calling to drastically shift his Christian theology.

Bishop Carlton Pearson called for a "Gospel of Inclusion" that portrayed a much less vengeful God. What got him into so much trouble? Here are some of the core tenets of Pearson's perspective of the Christian faith. It also explains why it got him into such hot water with the powers that be.

The "Gospel of Inclusion"

A. The death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection paid the price for all of humanity to have eternal life in heaven, without any requirement to repent of sins and receive salvation.

B. Belief in Jesus Christ, is not necessary for a person to go to heaven. Salvation is unconditional, granted by the grace of God to every human being.

C. It is presumed that all of humanity will have its destiny in heaven, whether they realize it or not.

D. All of humanity will go to heaven regardless of their religious affiliation, including those who believe in false religions or adopt any other form of religious persuasion, or who have no religious persuasion.

E. Only those who have "tasted the fruits" of real intimacy with Christ and have "intentionally and consciously rejected" the grace of God will spend eternity separated from God.

F. There are some people in hell, but the emphasis is "to get away from the picture of an angry, intolerant God. I don't see God as that bitter."



* Here is the interview where Randy speaks of meeting Bishop Pearson for the first time as an adult since he last saw him as a teenager. It also gives some insight into how the Roberts family treats Randy vs. how Bishop Pearson treats Randy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoNJ74kDUNs

 

[tampa24]

A great new movie from Disney.

 

[angelone]

Yes, Tampa, it was a great find. But there's something about the message that really rubs me the wrong way. Having gone through the same mental and physical abuse growing up, someone no matter how well-meaning telling me that it will only get better isn't as comforting or supportive as one would think. I can really understand why victims of such bullying would do terrible things like get a gun and shot up a whole school. Gay youth should not be sheep hopeing for greener pastures; they should learn to grow horns and stick them up the bully's ass.

 

[tampa24]

Gay youth should not be sheep hoping for greener pastures; they should learn to grow horns and stick them up the bully's ass.

Well said Angel. The Trevor Project is a wonderful thing. I agree with you though that gay youth should not take from this that the message is to just put up with bullying for the next 4 years or more. As if that time isn't very valuable to them anyway. Here's another clip from a straight guy who offers some useful advice. He tries to empower gay LGBT youth to stand up for themselves against the bullies. Some of you may recognize this guy who decided to offer some words of support. Even though he's not gay.