From Tragedy to Tribute

What connects Dan Savage, author of the internationally syndicated sex-advice column “Savage Love,” and SAP, an old-line enterprise software company? The It Gets Better Project, and a desire to save and improve the lives of young people.

Savage started the It Gets Better Project in September 2010 to help prevent suicide among lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. After a rash of suicides by teens who were bullied because of their perceived sexual orientation, Savage wanted to create a way for supporters to tell LGBT youth that, however bad things are, however alone they might feel, adolescence is a temporary hell and – it gets better. He uploaded a video message to YouTube, and thus began a worldwide movement.

To date, the ‘It Gets Better’ Project has inspired more than 50,000 videos viewed more than 50 million times – made by people of all ages and walks of life, celebrities, politicians (among them U.S. President Barack Obama) and corporations like The Gap, Google, Facebook, Pixar, Deloitte, and many others. On June 7, SAP joined that group, and while, according to Savage, “Every video changes a life; it doesn’t matter who makes it,” the SAP submission is special.

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