Dan Savage hosts 'It Gets Better' special tonight on MTV and Logo

Tue. February 21, 2012 5:06 PM by GoPride.com News Staff

terry miller and dan savage during a visit to chicago, 2011

photo credit // jerry nunn

MTV special is a response to the recent and tragic suicides in the LGBT community

Syndicated columnist, author and co-creator of the It Gets Better Project, Dan Savage, will anchor a special, hour-long program, "It Get's Better" on MTV and sister cable network Logo tonight at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

"It Gets Better" will focus on the stories of three young people at a crossroads in their lives: a young man struggling to tell his family and friends that he is gay; a lesbian fighting for parental acceptance; and a transgender man preparing to get married.

"The lives of these three young people will resonate with millions of teens – gay and straight – who are being bullied for simply being themselves," said Savage. "It's so important they know that things get better and that living openly and honestly and being who you are makes it better. They have so many great moments ahead of them and they will do things they never thought possible – so long as they keep fighting, stay positive, and stay with us."

In addition, video messages containing sentiments of hope and support from Savage and his partner Terry Miller, along with Adam Levine, Zachary Quinto, Margaret Cho, Chaz Bono, Tim Mcllarth and Brandon Barnes of Rise Against, Vinny Guadagnino, Dave Holmes, Sia and Jake Shears, will be included in the "It Gets Better" special.

In September 2010, Savage, a Chicago native, created a YouTube video with his partner Terry Miller to inspire hope for young people facing harassment. In response to a number of students taking their own lives after being bullied in school, they wanted to create a personal way for supporters everywhere to tell LGBT youth that, yes, it does indeed get better.

More than a year later, the It Gets Better Project has turned into a worldwide movement, inspiring more than 30,000 user-created videos viewed more than 40 million times. To date, the project has received submissions from celebrities, organizations, activists, politicians and media personalities, including President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Adam Lambert, Anne Hathaway, Colin Farrell, Matthew Morrison of "Glee", Joe Jonas, Joel Madden, Ke$ha, Sarah Silverman, Tim Gunn, Ellen DeGeneres, Suze Orman, the staffs of The Gap, Google, Facebook, Pixar, the Broadway community, and many more.

"It Gets Better, produced by MTV, Savage Media LLC, Octagon Entertainment and Snackaholic Productions, will air on both MTV and Logo at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

 

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