It Gets Better: 23 Lesbians, 10 Animals, 2 Children, 1 Message (#itgetsbetter)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (we’re not judging if you do, it happens), you probably know about Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project, which enlists homos to speak to youths via YouTube about how high school is a battlefield for your heart. Celebrities with shiny hair tell schoolchildren about how much better things are when you have a hit record and bang hot lesbo-chicks all day. In between those vids, you can hear real stories from normal not-fancy human gays all over the world. You might cry a little.

You probably wondered, where’s Autostraddle’s video, are they too busy reading editorials of the It Gets Better project to actually get better? Nah. We just needed it to be special and wanted a big complicated project to ensure a constantly haphazard publication schedule.

“Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don’t have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids.”

We enlisted the worldwide troops for this one. However we can’t figure out how to get it on their site I keep getting an error message help.

The It Gets Better project requires you to put your location in the title. We can’t fit it all in there, so how’s this… (location is where the video was shot)

Starring:

DJ Carlytron & Photographer Robin Roemer (Autofocus) — Queens, NY

Actress Sarah Croce (Miss April) & AS Design Director Alex VegaOn the Road somewhere between New York and California (two bois, one road)

Celesbian Nat Garcia (Autonatic, More to L) & her dogs — Los Angeles, CA

Comedians Gloria Bigelow & Dalila Ali Rajah (Cherry Bomb TV) — Los Angeles, CA

Actress Julia Osen Averill (Miss February) — Brooklyn, NY

AS Intern ElizabethChicago, IL

AS Intern Daphne DuckBelgium

AS Intern Lily (College Lesbianage) — New York, NY

Tech Blogger MorganBoston, MA

Technostraddle Editor-in-Chief Taylor and Video Assistant KelseyOakland, CA

Nicole Pacent (Miss June, Anyone But Me) & Jenn Klein — Los Angeles, CA

Vikki (Up Popped a Fox) and her cute family — Minneapolis, MN

Editor-in-Chief Riese Bernard & Managing Editor Sarah F. P.Ann Arbor, MI

Actress Haviland Stillwell West Hollywood, CA

Comediennes/actresses/executives Julie Goldman & Brandy Howard (In Your Box Office) — Los Angeles, CA


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134 Comments

  1. I’m gonna go all internet creep on you now, just so you know!

    By the time Alex did her backflip I was like “ohmigod I don’t know you but I love all of you?”
    I don’t know who I want to cuddle and heart the most in this video.
    Although I think Vikki wins this round because she has a portuguese girlfriend and portuguese women are frickin’ hot and awesome, just saying!

      • Oh you’re so right, you lucky woman.
        Things I love about Portugal:
        1. Portugal
        2. Portuguese Women
        3. Portuguese Wine

        [in addition to my above comment I would like to say that the animals featured were pretty awesome, too. right now the cat I “stole” from my mothers appartment while she is on some sort of a sailing trip on the baltic sea is lying in our laundry basket, asleep and snoring like my grandmother. I will miss her when my mom returns.]

  2. I joined the community here a few months ago but haven’t really commented so much as just very heartily lurked and appreciated and felt warm and happy and entertained at everyone’s loveliness, smarts, and of course, indisputable sense of humour.

    I wanted to re-emerge from Lurkland to say thank you for your presence in this world. It reminds me that there are ladies/women/grrrls out there who care about the things I do and who are dedicated to making this world a batter place.

    My favourite poem ever is ‘Say Yes’ by Andrea Gibson.
    Without saying much else.. this community has roots in my heart in the same place that that poem does. It’s a place of hope and inspiration.

    So yes
    thankyou, for all that you do.

    *lurker-heart soon intending to be more-regular-commenter-heart.. how else will I actively make ALL THE FRIENDS.

    :)

    Hugs.

  3. This was amazing for so many reasons, and then harmonica and puppies happened.

    ohmyf’ingod. I’m laughing so loudly and it’s so early in the morning and my roommates probably think I’m WEIRD AND CRAZY. but really, it’s that things just got much better.

  4. This made my day. I love that you guys approached the “it gets better” concept by showing the “better” things, like back flips and cuddling and books and Nacho. Other videos with personal stories are awesome too, but this was like an injection of pure happiness.

  5. There are so many things good and cute and funny about this video that it’s hard for me to isolate what they are. -^ ^- It makes me feel good about life though, so thanks. It also makes me want to make a video too, so I think I will!

  6. I feel like you’re all my best friends and so this video makes me really happy. I can’t even decide which part I liked best. My heart feels full and happy and I hope that it makes the the hearts of the kids who watch it feel that way too.

  7. *does happy dance to celebrate video awesomeness*

    One question though: what’s the third book Julia is showing? I have all the others she showed, I just don’t recognize that one (and can’t read the title). The R…. for A…?

  8. You know when you’re watching some cartoon movie with songs, like The Land Before Time, and all the characters sing a big song and then laugh right after the final note? Well that happened to me after I watched this video. Good times.

  9. The part about how dating someone your size doubles your wardrobe made me laugh, because I just got finished doing SIX LOADS OF LAUNDRY AND IT TOOK MORE THAN FIVE HOURS. Turns out you really just end up getting them all mixed up into one pile and not knowing what’s clean and what’s dirty… and doing it all.

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  11. Holy holy holy everything.
    This video made me laugh and cry and love myself (a bit) and all of you (a whole fucking tonne). This is the first It Gets Better video I’ve seen from a girl point of view and I feel like I’ve somehow found part of something I belong to. Thank you so much. There’s so much negativity in the world, and after a hideous, hideous breakup and all kinds of questioning myself about whether to pretent I’m straight just to make things easier, you’ve reminded me, or taught me, that I have to do what I know I want.

    As a super low-ranking lesbian, thank you, thank you, thank you. All these tears, all these cigarettes and laughs and awkward beautiful dates with beautiful awkward girls are for you, Autostraddle.

    Sorry for being a lame soppy-ass douche. But this meant more to me than I thought it possibly could.

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