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Hello John

When we first embarked on an effort to distribute grants to LGBTQ+ students all around the country, I wondered how we could achieve such a monumental goal: Could we REALLY improve the lives of LGBTQ+ students at school? [[link removed]] As a teen, coming out seemed impossible. “Gay” was still thrown around as an insult, and being perceived as a lesbian was a scarlet letter. Even now, I look back and wonder how people seemed to notice something about me that marked me as queer, despite my best efforts to hide it.

When we began reviewing applications for the first season of 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices [[link removed]], two seemingly dichotomous realities struck me: first, many schools still did little to protect LGBTQ+ students; second, LGBTQ+ student leaders and educators were active and proud. Even when school boards and politicians failed LGBTQ+ students, they were not backing down. Their bravery and power at such a young age showed me the potential impact this project could have.

In Alabama [[link removed]] (pictured below), the school turned a mural project into a community-wide event. Students worked with an artist to create the design, and then over one hundred community members got together to paint it.

In North Dakota, as students face intense anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, their GSA flourished and has remained a “pillar to the youth in [their] community” by being a “safe space for ouryouth to be themselves and share their feelings through all the trials and tribulations that come along with living in a rural, conservative community in the Midwest.”

A few weeks ago, a current student in Louisiana, Ava, shared their experience [[link removed]] with you all. Her words impacted me deeply. She wrote, “In this world where our future is unpredictable and our safety is threatened, it becomes so crucial to have this sacred space and resource for our queer community.”

When so much of our lives are lived online, or in my case, remotely, it can be challenging to see the impact of your work outside of simple metrics like total dollars granted. While distributing more than $1 million over the last two years to schools in the U.S. and Canada is monumental, nothing compares to meeting an educator or a student on a Zoom call to celebrate their wins. Working with hundreds of schools across the country [[link removed]] and countless students impacted has been the greatest honor and privilege of my professional life.

We constantly hear about negativity facing LGBTQ+ youth across the country. This project allows us to dream of a better future, one created by the incredible and brave LGBTQ+ youth leading the way for us all.

If you are one of those students, or an educator or administrator working with these leaders, we deeply encourage you to apply before the deadline on April 1, 2024 [[link removed]]. We want to support changemakers like you to create a better future.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Ariella Assouline (she/her)

Manager, Programs & Operations

It Gets Better

P.S. Join us THIS Thursday at 4pm PT/7pm ET for our last webinar of this grant cycle. Our expert staff will be there so ASK US ANYTHING. RSVP HERE! [[link removed]]

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