Our work is no longer a project — it is a rallying cry for LGBTQ+ youth EVERYWHERE!

Dear John

What began as a viral social media campaign in 2010 to bring hope and encouragement to young LGBTQ+ people has evolved into a global movement that connects and engages with more than 700K LGBTQ+ youth every year. Through media and storytelling campaigns, educational resources, mentorship programming, ambitious grant-making initiatives, digital safe spaces, and an international collective of like-minded organizations, we are laser-focused on creating a better world for young queer people EVERYWHERE.

But our world is in flux. In the last three years in the United States alone, hundreds of bills have been introduced in dozens of states seeking to undermine the sexual orientation and/or gender identity journey of today's youth. This includes book and curriculum bans that threaten to bury the LGBTQ+ experience and restrictions on access to sports and healthcare for our beloved trans community.

As this happens, hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ people pass through the system, graduating from (or dropping out of) high school with little faith in what the world has to offer.

With what promises to be a polarizing election year with continued attacks on our community, there has never been a more important time to prepare future queer leaders to navigate an increasingly complex world. They must believe that life will get better, and there is no better organization to deliver that message.

Our work is no longer a project — it is a rallying cry. So we are dropping “project” from our name to declare unequivocally that It Gets Better! And, we are giving ourselves a makeover with a new website [[link removed]] designed exclusively for young LGBTQ+ and questioning youth—developed in partnership with our very own It Gets Better Youth Voices. This isn’t just a new outfit, it is our public persona – and a portal to the critical information youth need to become healthy, self-actualized young adults.

Behind the scenes, we are working diligently to become a truly intergenerationally led organization by integrating young queer people into everything we do—to inform our programming and to participate in leadership-level decisions that will shape the future of our organization as the world’s largest storytelling effort to empower LGBTQ+ youth.

Your partnership is more important than ever. Support our work and get us to the finish line. [[link removed]] Spread the word that we are here, queer, and ready to guide the next generation of young LGBTQ+ people to a future with limitless possibilities.

The world is a big place, and it will take a village to ensure that every young LGBTQ+ person is free to live equally, connect with their community, and know their power as individuals! But we are in it to win it with your unwavering support.

Pay us a visit at ItGetsBetter.org [[link removed]] to discover what it means to be queer and fearless.

Brian Wenke

he/him/his

Executive Director, It Gets Better

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