Actors and others from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival have put together a loving and wonderful video to help gay and lesbian teenagers see that suicide is NOT the answer because It Gets Better.
I live in Ashland, Oregon, home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, of which I am a big fan. Although I am straight, I grew up with gay people in my family and have always had gay folks as friends and pals. I moved to Ashland in 1972 at 19 years old and one of the reasons I felt like I'd found my true home was that, because of the Shakespeare Festival there were enough gay actors and technical people in town that there was a gay bar (essentially, it was a beer bar called Cook's that all the gay folks hung out in and didn't get hassled) Most small Oregon towns at that time, and probably even now can be redneck in character and intolerant of anybody who's different. Ashland is an exception.
So, it made me very happy that OSF Artistic Director Bill Rausch and his partner spoke out about growing up gay and were joined by all sorts of wonderful actors and other Festival folks. Please give it a look and pass it along to anybody who needs this message, whether it's a gay teenager, a parent of one or a bully.Here's the link:
It Gets Better