John,

In 2009, I left my home in Mexico to attend college in British Columbia, but I also had a hidden agenda: to find acceptance of my sexuality far away from the judgement of my friends, family, and faith. While exploring a small public library in downtown Vancouver, I discovered Dan Savage’s book The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family. It was the “it gets better” message I needed to hear. It convinced me that I deserved a happy life, even if my guilt was telling me otherwise.

A year later, I came out to my family and close friends, and it turned out that my struggle was mostly internal. I was given nothing but love and support, but I knew that others didn’t have it so easy. I found a way to help them – through the It Gets Better Project.

I was the first person outside the US to share my It Gets Better story – and the first to do so in another language. My story was included in the New York Times bestselling It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living, which ultimately set me on a path to where I am today, as the Global Programming Coordinator for the It Gets Better Project and Executive Director of It Gets Better Mexico.

Every day, I get to work with extraordinary people from all over the world – members of the It Gets Better Global Affiliate Network, a family that now spans four continents and six languages. I am constantly reminded of the impact of our work through the testemonials of others who, just like me — a shy, gay, Mexican-Catholic boy — found comfort in the It Gets Better Project’s arsenal of inspiring stories.

I know, first hand, that our global movement has the power to uplift, empower, and connect all of us for the better, so please consider investing in this life-saving effort. Young LGBTQ+ people everywhere need your support -- they need to know they are not alone.

Alex Orué
Global Programming Coordinator
It Gets Better Project