Dear John —

We’re Jenni and Lisa, filmmakers from San Francisco. 

When the It Gets Better movement began in 2010, we saw the tremendous impact of visibility through storytelling done by everyday people. We wanted to contribute more stories by making a film representing LGBTQ+ people of color in developing countries. So, we set out to visit 15 countries in Asia, Africa, and South America over the course of one year.

Our documentary film, Out & Around,  is a collection of LGBTQ+ individuals who are doing extraordinary things around the world. In 2015 we partnered with the It Gets Better Project to release the film in our joint mission to share stories of hope around the world. 

Together we did screenings in film festivals, had television broadcasts, and a TED talk with over 2.6 million views. Our film is now available for free on the It Gets Better YouTube channel in five languages. We also created free multilingual educational guides for our film so that it can be a learning tool in classroom settings.  

Without the It Gets Better Project, our film might have never reached an audience. Because of their influence, we now spend our time doing screenings in classrooms and conferences around the world. This year a student in Kenya told Lisa that she didn’t know any healthy gay people, but after seeing the film, she knows that she is not alone in this world. And Jenni will never forget the Indian mother who came up to her after a tech conference screening who said, “before your film, I could never accept it if my son were gay. Now I know that I could.” 

That’s why we ask you to join us in contributing this year to the It Gets Better Project. Your money supports the global movement in teaching the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth that hope is out there. For every LGBTQ+ young person hearing this message, we can create a world in which everyone lives equally knowing their worthiness and power as individuals.

Thank you,

Jenni and Lisa Dazols

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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