Three days after I wrote the post '"It Gets Better," Part Three--Have We Missed the Point?' comes the following from "YouTube channel offers comfort to gay youth," by Amy Minsky, an article in The Vancouver Sun dated Saturday, October 16, 2010:
'"I think there will always be challenges, because we're a minority in society," [British Columbia New Democratic Party MP Bill] Siksay said. "And sometimes I worry that a campaign like this makes it sound like it's easy."
'Some Canadian advocates working with LGBT communities are more skeptical of Dan Savage's ["It Gets Better"] campaign.
'"Who knows what the impact of a viral message will be on someone's level of hope. There isn't a lot or research out there," said Jude Tate, a director with the University of Toronto's sexual and gender diversity office.
'The bigger problem with It Gets Better, Tate said, is that is doesn't address the real issue: that homophobia continues to be tolerated--far more so than racist behaviors and sexist behaviors.
'Without support, LGBT youth in Canada will continue to be thrown out of their homes, drop out of school, be victims of abuse or suicide, said Helen Kennedy, executive director at Egale Canada, a national gay-rights advocacy organization.
'Only eradicating homophobic attitudes--not simply telling youth it will get better and more tolerable--will ensure kids who are bullied make it through, she said.
'"It shouldn't be 'it gets better,' it should be 'make it better [p. B3].'"'
Oops, it's: www.MakeItBetterProject.org
ReplyDeleteVery important to include Project!
Also: YouTube.com/makeitbetterproject
I don't know who you are, but thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for bringing this website and these resources to my attention and to the attention of my readers.
ReplyDeleteI spent some time at www.makeitbetterproject.org this morning--watching the videos and reading the materials--and I can't tell you how thrilled I am this site has been created. I have no doubt it will do an enormous amount of good. I only wish it had been available when I was in school back in the late 1960s and 1970s when I was the victim of bullying. It's exactly what I wrote we need on several of my recent blog posts.
Again, my sincere thanks. I plan to write another post on this subject, to create a greater awareness of the site, and to get more involved in my own community in whatever ways I can.