WASHINGTON—President Obama on Thursday released a video in support of bullied LGBT youth.
In the video, which was posted on YouTube and the White House’s Web site, the president assured LGBT youth that their differences “are a source of pride and strength,” and encouraged them to reach out for help if they feel mired in the emotional and social pressures of peer harassment.
“We’ve got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage; that it’s some inevitable part of growing up. It’s not,” President Obama said. “We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe for all of our kids.”
The president also expressed sadness over the recent rash of suicides of LGBT youth, lamenting, “It breaks my heart. It’s just something that shouldn’t happen in this country.”
President Obama’s message was submitted as one of the thousands comprising the “It Gets Better Project” launched by columnist and LGBT advocate Dan Savage, which features videos of successful openly gay people and straight allies telling their stories to serve as examples of how life usually improves once the trials of peer taunting pass. President Barack Obama said he was “shocked and saddened” by the recent suicides of several young people who were bullied and taunted for being gay.
To view the president’s video and others on the It Gets Better Project’s YouTube channel, please click here.
