Broncos Fan Asks Team to Stand Up for LGBT Youth with “It Gets Better”
More than 7,500 sports fans have joined a Denver resident’s campaign on Change.orginviting the Denver Broncos to become the first National Football League team to make an “It Gets Better” video against the bullying of youth perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.
Broncos fan Andy Szekeres created the online petition campaign asking the NFL team to send a strong message to their young LGBT fans that homophobia and bullying have no place in the classroom, locker room, or on the football field.
“The Denver Broncos can do what the San Francisco Giants did earlier this year, starting a movement within their sport to stand up against bullying and homophobia,” said Szekeres. “Given how popular the Broncos have become, and the nationwide attention being paid to the team and their starting quarterback Tim Tebow, this is a unique moment for the Denver Broncos to send a strong message to the community and to LGBT fans worldwide that bullying is wrong.”
After the Giants produced their “It Gets Better” video this summer, seven other Major League Baseball teams created videos of their own, including the Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs. To date, no NFL teams have made “It Gets Better” videos.
“Andy’s campaign on Change.org has really galvanized Denver Broncos fans, who hope their team becomes the first in the NFL to speak out against anti-gay bullying,” said Michael Jones, senior organizer at Change.org, the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change. “As we saw earlier this year in Major League Baseball, pro sports fans have enormous potential to persuade their teams to confront homophobia. That’s exactly what Andy’s campaign on Change.org is trying to do.”
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 Hillary Clinton, corporations like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Pixar, and other major organizations and leaders have provided hope to kids struggling with their sexual orientation and gender identity.
Live signature totals from Andy’s Broncos campaign:
http://www.change.org/
Watch previous “It Gets Better” videos created by professional sports teams:
San Francisco Giants:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Boston Red Sox:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Chicago Cubs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Los Angeles Dodgers:
