Tonight, I went to see Dan Savage speak here at William and Mary. Before going, I hadn't made up my mind about whether I was fully supportive of him as a leader in the gay rights movement. I was aware of his alleged transphobia, and I think he does have a tendency to make bold statements without fully thinking them through. However, I also think the It Gets Better Campaign might be the best thing ever to have happened for LGBT youths. I came in with the attitude that taken in sum, the good Dan has produced in the world far outweighs the bad.
I left with that view strongly reinforced. While he spoke tonight, it was clear that a fierce passion burned beneath his words. It's pretty incredible to see someone like him, who has to pull out the same talking points day in and day out, get so fired up and emotional about his cause, like he's bursting out with this message for the very first time. When words failed him, he swore. When he talked about suicide, his voice strained with pain. He believes what he says.
And his message is truth: LGBT youth need help. The internet is allowing the gay community to reach out to struggling kids like never before. Because of efforts like It Gets Better, children and young adults struggling with questions about their sexuality can now get the help and guidance they need on their phones, in their rooms, in their family home - which, in so many cases, might otherwise be the most oppressive environment for them.
I got to ask him the first question during the Q&A part of the talk. I thanked him for speaking, and asked him if It Gets Better has had any plans to work with Lady Gaga's new Born This Way Foundation, which is being launched as an effort to put an end to bullying. He said that while the board of the It Gets Better Campaign has been in communication with the board of the BTW foundation, he doesn't know exactly what will happen to the IGB Campaign. He raised the possibility that IGB could one day become a part of the BTW foundation, citing the fact that Gaga's foundation has deeper pockets thanks to her massive popularity.
I was really pleased with that answer for two reasons. First, because Dan Savage and Gaga are arguably the two biggest figures in the anti-bullying movement, and it would be really cool to see them join forces - and fanbases - for a common cause. Second, Dan has received some criticism in the past for copyrighting and trademarking It Gets Better, a point which he touched on earlier. In his speech, he claimed that he had done so solely in order to shut down an anti-gay organization in Sweden that had appropriated the name to spread homophobic messages. His magnanimity to the idea of having IGB fuse with the BTW Foundation seems to me to implicitly back up this claim: that Dan would consider giving up control of the IGB Campaign in order for it to flourish in the best hands would contradict accusations that he trademarked the campaign's name for personal gain.
I also want to note that Dan's words and examples throughout the night were very inclusive and suggested that he is just as keenly aware of and sympathetic to the plight of trans people - gay and straight - as he is of LGB people. His overall message was really inspiring, and I'm really glad that someone with his tenacity is there to continue the fight every day for the health of LGBT youth.
