It Gets Better Sends Message To Russia

Via press release:

With the Olympics approaching, Russia will be the site of one of the most celebrated international gatherings in the world. At the same time, the former Soviet country will also be ground zero for an evolving human rights crisis, often resulting in violent discrimination. With a network of It Gets Better Project affiliates throughout the world, IGB has gathered international support for at-risk youth in Russia, and is committed to sending encouraging messages to a population that is in desperate need of hope for a brighter future. To accomplish this, IGB has partnered with LGBT advocates affiliated with Children 404, which is using Europe’s largest social network, Vkontakte, to connect Russian LGBT youth to the international community. Supporters are encouraged to visit IGB’s website and craft their own messages, which are then translated into Russian.

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(Tipped by JMG reader Jarod)

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It Gets Better notes that tomorrow is Kevin Keller Day.

SOUTH AFRICA: Oscar Pistorius Removed From It Gets Better Project

The It Gets Better Project is set to launch in South Africa this week and organizers say they will not be using a video message recorded for them by Olympian track star Oscar Pistorius, who stands accused of murdering his girlfriend.

The campaign, which is to be launched at the Cape Town Holocaust Centre at 7pm, has the support of numerous celebrities, including models Shashi Naidoo and Kerry McGregor, Mr Gay World 2011 Francois Nel, television presenters Sade Giliberti and Jo-Ann Strauss, and struggle hero Ahmed Kathrada. In his video, which will no longer be included in the campaign, Pistorius said: "Just remember that you're special. You don't have to worry. You don't have to change. Take a deep breath and remember 'It will get better'."

49ers Anti-Gay Flap Widens

Yesterday Dan Savage removed the It Gets Better anti-bullying clip recorded by the San Francisco 49ers after two of the players that appeared in the clip denied having taken part.

Though Culliver has since apologized for the controversial statements, the backlash seems unlikely to dissipate now that a new wrinkle has emerged. The 49ers' linebacker Ahmad Brooks and nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga, both of whom participated in the team's widely-praised "It Gets Better" video last summer, have denied ever producing the clip.  The players told USA Today Sports that they didn't realize the video's aim was to specifically combat bullying experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens.  "This is America and if someone wants to be gay, they can be gay," Brooks told the publication. "But I didn't make any video." Later, after he was reportedly shown the video on an iPhone, the player clarified, "Oh, that. It was an anti-bullying video, not a gay [rights] video."  Even more curiously, Sopoaga similarly denied taking part in the clip, even as a teammate reportedly tried to jog his memory. "I never went," he declared. "And now someone is using my name."

It Gets Better + Ali Forney Center

Playbill reports:

A Better Holiday Concert, a benefit for the It Gets Better Project, which was "created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach," will be presented Dec. 16 from 7-10 PM at XL Nightclub. The evening will raise funds for the Ali Forney Center, the nation’s largest organization working on behalf of runaway and homeless LGBTQ youth; the AFC had a vital drop-in center destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in late October. The night will kick off with a cocktail party from 7-8 PM, where photographer Victor Haim's art will be showcased and sold. Fifty percent of the proceeds will go to the AFC, on top of all proceeds from ticket sales.

Get tickets here.