Goldberg is a sophomore public relations major and can be contacted at bryn.goldberg@drake.edu
There is a continuous encouraging campaign called “It Gets Better.” It is something that was started by Dan Savage after the suicides of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teens, and it has now become something that many celebrities and businesses are becoming a part of.
These videos are very encouraging, especially for members of the LGBT community as well as anyone who feels different from their surroundings. While I think it is a great campaign on the fight against bullying, it may also be deceiving.
In the media, you can find a video with President Obama explaining how “it gets better.” You can then look in the news and find articles about how same-sex marriage is being banned from states that already legalized it, such as Iowa.
So, then you have someone telling you that life is going to get better and everything will be OK, but you can’t get married.
Yes, the “It Gets Better” campaign is aimed at young adults and teens who are struggling with fitting in at school and not getting bullied, but it still seems a bit deceiving for later in life.
It does get better, at least once you’re out of high school and are able to surround yourself with people who you chose to be around, after that, though, is debatable.
My life has gotten better but now, with all of the same-sex marriage debates, I have to hope that life will get better once again. When I think about my future, as in who I will spend it with, I get terrified. That is not how someone should feel about thinking about her life partner, but for many LGBT members, it is.
Looking in the media makes me wonder if it really will get better for the LGBT community. Hearing people say that you cannot get married or have legal rights with your life partner is just like them saying that you are a second-rate citizen with different rights than those who prefer members of the opposite sex.
This makes me wonder, is it really fair to tell someone that it will get better for her after high school, but then when he or she is ready to commit to someone, it will get worse?
I believe it gets better, and I truly think that the campaign is necessary and very encouraging. It does get better. I just find it hard to believe that it will get better for the LGBT when it comes to same-sex marriage.
Maybe that’s it—it gets better, to a degree.