Jane Lynch and partner Laura Embry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BGtS_sedUk
Laura: Go ahead.
Jane: Hi, I'm Jane, and I'm from Chicago.
Laura: Hi, I'm Laura, and I'm from Birmingham, Alabama.
Jane: I, er, realised I was gay when I was about twelve, and, erm, I thought it was a disease and I had it.
Laura: Yeah. I realised I was gay when I was fourteen and, erm, Martina Navratilova got outed, and I, then I found out there was such a thing -
Jane: As being gay. Me too. Erm, in high school I had one gay friend, although we never spoke of it. I'm sure there were other gay people in my high school – I was on the basketball team, for God's sake, but I really felt alone in it.
Laura: Yeah. I knew there were a couple of kids in my school. Erm... One really, who was kind of open about being really tom-boyish, and everybody kind of assumed that she was gay...but, er, for me it was...scary.
Jane: Me too, it made me feel alone, because, erm...I felt I had this deep dark secret that nobody shared and it had to stay a deep dark secret, and I wish that I had known that if I hang in there, things would get better. And today I can say that things do definitely get better. Things changed for me when I started, erm, acting in the theatre. I love acting; I love being in plays, and it's teaming with gay people, and I started to see that being gay is just another way of loving.
Laura: Er...yeah, it changed for me when I got out of Alabama and, er, ran away to Smith College and saw t -
Jane: That turns everybody gay
Laura: Yeah, well
Jane: Girls.
Laura: Most of 'em. Erm...but you saw that you could live a different way. Or I saw that I could live a different way. I saw that people could, erm...not just accept or tolerate, but celebrate being gay. And, er, make a party out of it. You know?
Jane: Yeah, and so I think for those of you out there who are suffering and feel so all alone that you can't tell your family – and I understand that too; sometimes telling your family is just not great advice – hang in there. Hang in there and know that there are people in this world who love you for who you are, and that there's nothing wrong with who you are. And, erm, and when you get old enough to make your choices of where you wanna be, come and join us in the real world here – we love you; we accept you; we want you to stick around long enough to enjoy the life that we have together.
Laura: Yeah. You have to know that your, your life will change and that you have the ability to make it change. You have the ability to make a decision about where you're gonna be able to spend time; who you're gonna spend your time with. Erm...of course, that's after high school!
Jane: Yeah, high school's tough!
Laura: Yeah, you gotta...hang in there for high school, and then you get to choose a lot of things and make your life better. It doesn't just get better; you get to make it better.
Jane: Yep.
Laura: And the more open you are with yourself and with other people, as you get older, the better you'll feel. It won't be so scary.
Jane: And it feels really bad right now, and I wish I could reach out and give you a hug and tell you, “it gets better”.
Laura: Yeah. It gets way better.
Jane: Yeah, way better – look what I found!
Laura: Yeah!
Cast of 'Burlesque' (Cher, Stanley Tucci, Christina Aguilera, and Cam Gigandet)
Cher: You think when you're young that's what it's gonna be.
Interviewer: Right.
Cher: But everything changes like after sc...like, school is the least part of your life. And everyone is stupid and going through all kinds of changes and people are... I mean, it seems like it should be better now. You know, it seems like it should be a lot better now.
Interviewer (off-screen): Right.
Cher: And people should be much more free; much more open; much more, erm, willing to accept what's going on. I just don't understand; we should be going the opposite way. We, I mean -
Stanley Tucci: But don't you think it's a reaction to...don't you think it's a reaction to...to a more open society in a sense that as the society starts to...starts to, er, create new freedoms and people start to feel more comfortable coming out -
Interviewer (off-screen): Right.
Stanley Tucci: - that there is gonna be a reaction to that. Like, an equal reaction to that.
Interviewer (off-screen): Right.
Stanley Tucci: And the equal reaction would be the bullying.
Interviewer (off-screen): Right.
Stanley Tucci: Because things are supposed to stay like this, under the surface, but they don't, so there has to be a reaction to it.
Interviewer (off-screen): Right.
Stanley Tucci: It, it will get better – it will get better – it will change; it will, you know, but this is a reaction to it.
Cher: Right, but there's...bullying is a trend for all, for everyone. I don't get that trend, but it seems to me that...maybe we're a less...nice generation. You know? Maybe we're a less kind – what's coming up is less kind. I mean, you see it on reality shows. The paparazzi is much worse, you know? There, there's a lot of things that are going on that I, I don't get it, but I, I've seen it.
Christina Aguilera: Well, I definitely am in favour of, of, you know, erm...you know, all for gay rights for a very long time now.
Interviewer (off-screen): Right.
Christina Aguilera: Also through my, you know, creative efforts and musical expressions...and, er, you know I think in any case, you know, erm...your individuality is the most important thing and you have to be able to rise above anything, you know. I for one grew up being bullied myself and it's not fun; it's, it's, it's a, it's a terrible thing and you just have to try and find who your support system is and if, and if, er, you can surround yourself with any positive people and, er
Interviewer (off-screen): Right.
Christina Aguilera: You just have to keep going and, erm, you know, it just, er, you know, it-it –
Interviewer: And it gets better.
Christina Aguilera: - helps word to spread and –
Cam Gigandet: And it gets better.
Interviewer (off-screen): Yeah.
Christina Aguilera: And it gets better.
Christina Aguilera: Obviously it got better for me!
Cam Gigandet: And something to say to the bullies...you just tell the bullies to f*** off.
Christina Aguilera: There you go. Well put.
Janet Jackson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtk48phFK7c
Janet Jackson: Hi, this is Janet Jackson, and I wanna to speak to all the young people who mean so much to me. I know that sometimes life can seem insurmountable, especially during your teen years. And if you're lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, you're probably thinking you're all alone, but you're not. There is a world of acceptance waiting for you. I can relate because I was one of those kids that internalised everything. I held everything inside; all of my pain, and I didn't release it – I wasn't able to let it go – until I finally met that person that I could trust and who was truly willing to listen. If you've been a target of bullying, tell a trusted adult. And if you're feeling depressed, lonely, or suicidal, contact The Trevor Project at 866-4-U-TREVOR. It gets better.
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