On Friday, the City of Dallas released their contribution to the It Gets Better Project video campaign targeting LGBT youth encouraging them to embrace a better future. The video was initially released to the weekly newspaper Dallas Voice and they have placed it on their YouTube page at this link.
The video features 13 gay and lesbian City of Dallas employees as they share their stories of growing up, challenges, and the happiness they currently have in their lives. It's a clean, simple, and to the point production that allows the stories to resonate with the viewers.
For me, this video brought back cherished memories of a dear friend, David Harvey, that passed away many years ago due to complications from HIV. One day we were chatting about things and he so passionately said to me,
"I don't understand why some people honestly believe that being gay is a choice. Who in their right mind would ever choose this and all the heartache and harassment that goes along with it?"
David made that statement so passionately that it seared itself into my memory. It's worth noting that this was said when we still lived in a world in which seeing an on-screen kiss between two men or two women was front page news and we rarely saw openly gay celebrities.
The world we live in today has made great strides toward acceptance of others and kudos go out to private donors who funded its production including Ed Oakley, Gregg Kilhoffer, and Caven Enterprises. Congratulations also go out to the City of Dallas employees that were willing to go before the cameras and share their stories of overcoming challenges and embracing the success that life had in store for them.
The video deserves to be shared wide and far to help not only the LGBT youth, but persons of all sexual orientations - including heterosexuals - better embrace how, in spite of differences, we truly are all the same with a desire to share our lives with a special someone, have a little normalcy to every day life, and maybe, just maybe be "married by mortgage".
© Raine Devries 2013
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