San Francisco Police Department reaches out to gay teens
Mon. February 13, 2012 8:45 AM by GoPride.com News Staff
San Francisco, CA -
The San Francisco Police Department has recorded a video for the It Gets Better campaign.
The It Gets Better Project encourages bullied LGBT teens considering suicide to hang in there, because life eventually gets better.
In the nearly 9 minute video, employees of the department discuss what it was like for them growing up and how they came out to family, friends and co-workers.
"I didn't really have any positive gay role models that I thought were out there," a female police officer says.
"All of the imagery that was associated with gays or lesbians was the limp-wristed hairdresser."
"Someone that you were supposed to laugh at or someone that was to be ridiculed," a male officer says.
"So I didn't have anything that showed me that it was okay to be who I am," a female officer adds.
"I expected my father to have a very different reaction than he did," a female commander says. "He looked up at me and he said,
'Are you happy?' And I said, 'Yes.' Then he just looked down and said, 'Then who gives a shit.'"
The It Gets Better Project encourages bullied LGBT teens considering suicide to hang in there, because life eventually gets better.
In the nearly 9 minute video, employees of the department discuss what it was like for them growing up and how they came out to family, friends and co-workers.
"I didn't really have any positive gay role models that I thought were out there," a female police officer says.
"All of the imagery that was associated with gays or lesbians was the limp-wristed hairdresser."
"Someone that you were supposed to laugh at or someone that was to be ridiculed," a male officer says.
"So I didn't have anything that showed me that it was okay to be who I am," a female officer adds.
"I expected my father to have a very different reaction than he did," a female commander says. "He looked up at me and he said,
'Are you happy?' And I said, 'Yes.' Then he just looked down and said, 'Then who gives a shit.'"