Stand up for what you believe in

Nearly one month ago, the video that featured Sean Avery of the New York Rangers endorsing the legalization of same-sex marriage was viewed all around North America and most likely all around the world. Shortly after the release Todd Reynolds, Vice President of Uptown Sports Management, made it clear on the company’s Twitter account that same-sex marriage was wrong and not the right thing to do. Although he has done what he can to clear up exactly what he meant by his tweets, sports organizations and athletes everywhere are starting to stand up for the cause and are starting to have a say in what they believe is right that way every member of the LGBT community can live a regular life and have the opportunity to one day get married if they wanted to.

The It Gets Better Project was created in 2010 in order to show young LGBT people the different levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives can and will reach as long as they can get through their teen years. The main purpose of the It Gets Better Project is to show young teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone and that things WILL get better from here on in.

With many celebrities, major corporations, and regular everyday people stepping in and making webcasts to show their support for the It Gets Better Project; they have now reached nearly 175,000 followers on their Facebook and almost 20,000 followers on their Twitter account. With Sean Avery being one of the first athletes in today’s world of sports to stand up for same-sex marriage, organizations are slowly starting to follow in his footsteps. The San Francisco Giants released their own It Gets Better video to help kick off Pride Month; making them the first sports organization to stand up for the cause and stand behind the LGBT community. The video features Giants players Matt Cain, Barry Zito, Andres Torres and Sergio Romo, as well as Giants hitting coach Hensley “Bam Bam” Muelens as they all got together to spread the It Gets Better message in English, Spanish and Japanese.

Although Sean Avery didn’t show his support through an It Gets Better video, the support is still much appreciated by the LGBT community. The one player that everyone made out to be such a bad person because of his on-ice antics is showing everyone a different side to him. Due to the way Sean Avery acts on the ice people have stereotyped him and have assumed nothing but the worst about the guy; kind of like the LGBT community and how they receive many stereotypes because of their sexual orientation. With more and more celebrities standing up for the LGBT community every day, they should have a majority of the sports world standing behind them in no time. Through the It Gets Better Project, they have managed to help out other organizations and causes that are similar to theirs. They are benefactors of The Trevor Project and GLSEN and support the ACLU LGBT Project.

The Trevor Project focuses on ending suicide among LGBT youth by providing them with life-saving and life-affirming resources which includes a nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline, digital community, and advocacy/educational programs that create a safe and positive environment for all.

GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) focuses on ensuring safe schools for all students, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. They work to convince education leaders and policymakers that they need to address anti-LGBT behaviour throughout the schools so it becomes a safer environment for kids to learn and interact with others.

The ACLU LGBT Project is an organization that works to create an America free from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender expression, or HIV status through impact litigation, public education, and advocacy. They help students stand up against discrimination, harassment, and censorship.

With the It Gets Better Project getting bigger and bigger every single day with more and more supporters coming on board each day, the LGBT community should have the support of most athletes and organizations by summer’s end. Sometimes all it takes is one person to start a movement and that’s exactly what happened with the It Gets Better Project.

To learn more about the It Gets Better Project or to make your own It Gets Better video, visit http://www.itgetsbetter.org/pages/about-it-gets-better-project/