It Gets Better

            One’s sexual orientation should not matter in any aspect, but unfortunately in contemporary society it does matter to a lot of people.  Individuals are afraid to admit who they really are because of the backlash and harassment they may endure. Individuals may fear they do not have the support group to help them get through what can be a tough time in their lives.  But there are support groups out there and people who care.  The name Dan Savage may not strike everyone as relevant, neither may the It Gets Better Project.  But what this collection of videos does is show the massive amount of support from celebrities and the general public alike.  Major League Baseball has joined forces to help promote the message that “It Gets Better.”  Life gets better when you do not have to live in fear of being yourself.  Teams such as the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs have all shown their support for this project.  It’s ok to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.  Unfortunately, but understandably, nobody wants to take that risk in the sports world.  Only three athletes in the major professional sports have admitted to being homosexual, but none of which did so while they were playing.  Much progress can be made when an individual on a major sports platform admits to being homosexual.  That is what the It Gets Better Project does, but not simply for athletes alone.  It shows that there is support from high profile individuals along with your everyday citizen.  People love you and care for you without even knowing you.  For more information, you can visit the website at Itgetsbetter.org or visit You Tube and search It Gets Better Project.  Below is the commercial put out by Google promoting this message.

On a side note unrelated to sport, Tom Gabel, the lead singer of the band Against Me! has recently come out as being transgender.  This is the first major rock star to do so, and Gabel wanted to be open about it for the reason that nobody has done so before.  So it will be interesting to see if this has any effect on the music world.  It will also be interesting to see what effect it has on the band's music career, if they choose to continue pursuing it. 

Kyle DeCasas

KIN 577