Phillies, Rays, D.C. United release "It Gets Better" Videos

by Kate Stayman-London · 2011-08-30 11:52:00 UTC
Topics:

Three more pro sports teams have contributed videos to the "It Gets Better" project: The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball as well as D.C. United of Major League Soccer. Over 2,000 Change.org members signed petitions asking the Phillies and Rays to make "It Gets Better" videos, and more than 300 signed a petition toD.C. United.

The Phillies and Rays bring the total to 7 MLB teams who've made "It Gets Better" videos: They join the Giants, Cubs,Red Sox, Orioles and Mariners. The Twins and Nationals have also committed to make videos, though they have not yet been released. D.C. United is the first pro sports team from any league other than baseball to create an "It Gets Better" video (although players from the Seattle Storm, Sounders, and Seahawks also appeared in the Mariners' video).

The Phillies' video has particular meaning for Jerome Hunt, who started the Change.org petition asking the Phillies to join the "It Gets Better" campaign. A lifelong Phillies fan and former bullying victim, Hunt says that, "To finally see the Phillies It Get's Better Video is kind of surreal. I know in my heart that the Phillies have truly made a difference for some LGBT youth with this video. Hearing words of acceptance from someone you look up to and admire can really help you through a tough time."

Hunt also praised the Phillies for premiering their video on the big screen in the ballpark. "When I heard that the video premiered before a game on Phanavision, I was speechless," he said. "Showing the video on the big screen at the park truly shows the Phillies' commitment to the LGBT community." Watch the Phillies' video here:

The Rays' video was also exemplary, not least in its inclusion of members of Tampa's LGBT community in the video itself. In the video Rays outfielder Johnny Damon speaks of his own childhood as a stutterer, and fellow outfielder Sam Fuld assures LGBT youth that, "We're standing here as your fans to let you know that it gets better." Watch the Rays' video here:

As the first non-baseball pro sports team to make an "It Gets Better" video, D.C. United's contribution represents a major step forward in the ongoing "It Gets Better" movement. In the video, forward Josh Wolff reminds LGBT youth, "Always remember to be yourself." Watch D.C. United's video here:

The momentum behind these videos is especially notable as there are currently no openly gay athletes playing in any of the four major professional sports.

More than 20,000 “It Gets Better” videos have been produced since syndicated columnist Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller launched the project in September 2010 in response to an epidemic of teen suicides by gay kids and kids perceived to be gay. Through “It Gets Better” videos, President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and corporations like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Pixar and other major organizations and leaders have provided hope to kids struggling with sexual orientation and gender identity.

PREVIOUS STORY:
Homosexuality: Ghana's Public Enemy Number One
NEXT STORY:
Bullied high schooler convinces MPAA to change ‘Bully’ rating to “PG-13”

COMMENTS (9)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.