Barack Obama Tells Gay Youths: "It Gets Better"

The White House on Thursday released a video of President Obama telling gay youths that “It gets better.”Obama’s video is the latest submission to a YouTube program launched by columnist Dan Savage to raise awareness around teen suicide and provide support to at-risk gay youth.

In his video, Obama said: “I don’t know what it’s like to be picked on for being gay, but I do know what it’s like to grow up feeling that sometimes you don’t belong. It’s tough. For a lot of kids, the sense of being alone or apart, I know it can just wear on you. And when you’re teased or bullied, it can seem like somehow you brought it on yourself for being different or for not fitting in with everybody else. But I want to say is this: You are not alone. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t do anything to deserve being bullied, and there is a whole world waiting for you — filled with possibilities. There are people out there who love you and care about you just the way you are.”