Senator Coons today unveiled a video featuring 12 of his colleagues urging lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth not to give up hope, because they’re working hard in the Senate to fulfill the promise of equality for all.
The video is part of the It Gets Better Project, which was founded last year after a series of tragic suicides by LGBT youth who were bullied because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The inspiring It Gets Better Project is determined to help LGBT youth see a positive future beyond what is often a difficult adolescence.
A 2009 study by GLSEN found that three-fifths of LGBT students report feeling unsafe at school because of harassment over their sexual orientation.
More than 20,000 LGBT adults have produced videos around the “it gets better” message — a collection that has formed the heart of a global movement of support. President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, as well as the employees of a host of major companies including Apple, Facebook, and Google, have contributed heartfelt videos to the project.
In addition to Senator Coons, featured in the new video is Mark Udall (D-Col.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). All are co-sponsors of the Respect for Marriage Act, which was introduced in March to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and allow the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states where it is already legal.
The video was assembled from individual messages recorded by each Senator over the last four weeks. It is being released to coincide with the end of National LGBT Pride Month, and comes just days after the New York State Legislature made legalized marriage for same-sex couples there.
To learn more about the Senators’ It Gets Better video, click here
To learn more about the It Gets Better Project, click here
To learn more about Chris’ civil rights efforts, click here