The GLBT Center at N.C. State is now actively participating in the “It Gets Better” project after making a video.

The “It Gets Better” project was launched in September by Dan Savage.  Dan Savage, a syndicated columnist and author, created a YouTube video with his partner, Terry, in hopes of helping young people facing harassment, according to the It Gets Better website. 

Savage and his partner wanted to create a personal way to tell GLBT youth that life will get better.  The It Gets Better project has received all types of support, including submissions from celebrities, organizations, activists, politicians and media personalities.

Justine Hollingshead, the director of the center for GLBT Programs and Services, produced the video.  She was also in charge of selecting everyone that was in the video.

According to Hollingshead, she selected the three main people so that there would be differing perspectives.  She said she wanted to select a transgender student, a gay student and a lesbian student.  

“Maddy [Goss] has been connected with the GLBT Center here on campus for the last five or six years,” Hollingshead said.  “She is a non-traditional part-time student getting her degree in computer science.  Maddy is very involved in helping us connect with the transgender portion of campus.  Her being a part of the video was a no-brainer.”

Hollingshead has known Justin Kadel’s story since 1995, when she still worked with housing.

“Justin was a freshman 13 years ago.  He sent me an e-mail in 1995 about the harassment he was facing,” Hollingshead said.  “Justin lived in Tucker Residence Hall.  Every day he would come back to harassment and discriminatory remarks on his door.  Justin left N.C. State after that year.”

In October, at an LGBT of Raleigh convention, Hollingshead and Justin re-connected when Justin reintroduced himself to her.  Hollingshead said she had saved the email Justin sent her in 1995, and continued to use it in training situations on campus.

The third main character in the video is Stephanie Raney, a senior in communications.  According to Hollingshead, she wanted to include a current student’s perspective for what it’s like at the University now. 

“Stephanie was one of the first people to respond after the Technician printed the column about gay marriage in the fall,” Hollingshead said.  “She’s been very involved in the GLBT center.”

Raney said she felt really special to be asked by Hollingshead to be included in the video.

“I felt empowered to speak up for the people of my campus,” Raney said.

Thursday, the day the video was released, was Raney’s birthday.

“The release of the video was the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten,” Raney said.  “I’ve had professor’s e-mailing me saying they’ve seen the video and they liked it.  When I walked into class on Friday, I had students telling me they saw me in the video. My teacher even let us watch the video in class, and played it in her next two classes that day.”

Raney said Will Lamb, a senior in communications, recorded and edited the video.

“Will Lamb is a great guy,” Raney said.  “He did an amazing job.  He turned it into a work of art.”

Hollingshead seconded Raney’s thoughts about Lamb and the final product.

“Will did an amazing job.  He’s an ally of the community,” Hollingshead said.  ”He captured the true essence of what we wanted too – it’s not perfect, but we’re taking every effort to make this a better place.”

Although, according to Hollingshead, the video was shot during the coldest weekend in December, the video captures the true Wolfpack spirit.

“The video doesn’t have a clinical look,” Hollingshead said.  “Will and I wanted to the video to be Wolfpack warm, so we filmed in the prominent locations on campus – the Belltower, the Free Expression Tunnel, and in classes.”

The video was not scripted in any way, according to Hollingshead.

“No one in the video had a script.  Everyone was just talking,” Hollingshead said.  “It made the video more personal and captured the real emotion.”

Lamb said he enjoyed working with the GLBT center on the video.

“For me, filming the video could have put me in an awkward situation,” Lamb said.  “I love story telling and I felt like there was story to be told.”

Lisa Zapata, an ally featured in the video, and an associate vice chancellor for student affairs, said she thought the video was well-done.

“I thought the video was fantastic,” Zapata said.  “I think Will Lamb did an expert job putting together all the footage.  The video result is honest.”

Zapata said she’s had students and colleagues reach out to her after seeing the video.

“The feedback has been great.  It accomplished exactly what we wanted it too,” Zapata said.  “I knew I would enjoy being a part of it.  I just didn’t know how powerful the video would be.  The whole video makes me extremely proud of our whole institution.”

In less than a week, the response to the video has already been phenomenal, according to Hollingshead.  As of Wednesday evening, the video had been viewed 8,408 times, with 131 likes on YouTube.

Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuSNuPM5BsI