Dear John —
The pandemic has been tough for most of us, but it’s been particularly challenging for LGBTQ+ kids. Social distancing measures and schools going online means that many have lost access to services like counseling, they’ve missed out on time spent with LGBTQ+ peers and trusted friends. Some are stuck at home with unsupportive families. Additionally, they’re dealing with the same pandemic-related stress and anxiety we all are.
In the face of all that, I wanted to do something to help kids who are struggling. I started volunteering with the It Gets Better Project, an organization committed to helping LGBTQ+ kids feel less alone. The It Gets Better Project has created dozens of online resources for parents, educators, and kids to engage with real, firsthand accounts of LGBTQ+ experiences.
It’s no secret that being LGBTQ+ involves challenges. Our rights are precarious and politicized, and LGBTQ+ folks are at risk of being targets of violence and hate. We need to talk to kids about those realities. But we also need to tell them about the joy, affirmation, and power of being LGBTQ+. That’s one of my favorite things about the It Gets Better Project: it’s about telling whole stories, in all their messiness. We can’t be boiled down to statistics, and young people need to know that.
I volunteer with It Gets Better (and you can, too!) because I want to see a future where gender and sexuality are unremarkable aspects of identity. As an educator, I know it’s my job to make sure students learn the course material, but teaching them to be good people is just as important. I want the world to be better for younger generations, and that means we need to teach them to recognize and reject systemic injustices. We need to teach them to respect and love themselves and each other as unique individuals. And we need to teach them that we’re not settling because it’s gotten “better” — that we will keep working until we are all safe, accepted, and free.
(above) It Gets Better Project's LGBTQ+ inclusive EduGuides.
Adrianna Jereb
Elementary School Reading Coach and High School Spanish Tutor
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.
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