Hello John,
In 4th grade, Violet knew she was different. While her classmates obsessed over crushes and playground weddings, she was rehearsing lies just to fit in.
“‘Who do you like?’ became a regular lie I had rehearsed like a monologue.”
Now 17, a filmmaker, activist, and member of our Youth Voices program, Violet understands exactly why those early lies felt so heavy:
“We had unknowingly recreated the patriarchy around us.”
For Violet, being a lesbian meant more than just discovering who she loved—it meant rejecting a system that tried to script her life before she even had a chance to write it herself. She writes all about it in a new essay to honor Women's History Month.
This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating voices like Violet’s —unapologetically honest, defiantly joyful, and grounded in the power of women loving women. When queer young women find community, support, and space to be their full selves, their identities become more than something to fight for. They become a source of healing.
None of this happens without a community that believes in the power of young queer voices. Together, we’re changing the narrative. Join us in cultivating voices like Violet’s and become an It Gets Better donor today!
Violet, 17
(she/her)
Youth Voices, Class of 2025
It Gets Better
PLUS: We have another Women’s History Month read for you.
LGBTQ+ women in India are rewriting the rules—facing dual marginalization head-on and building a future defined by sisterhood, protest, and power. In this moving essay, writer Srijani Rupsha Mitra traces the fight for queer liberation across generations, from colonial repression to modern joy. It’s a powerful reminder: when queer women rise together, history is made.
The It Gets Better Project is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth around the globe. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
If you are looking for resources or support, please visit our resource center.
It Gets Better Project Disclosure Statement.
Want to update your email preferences?
Visit our Email Preferences Center to curate which emails you receive from the It Gets Better Project.
