I am really tired of the "it gets better" videos...

Why must community continue to 'share their stories' as if we need to validate our suffering and opression.. Tokenism will get us nowhere, except a five second spotlight of exploitation and the need to re-live our traumas by re-telling the story over and over as if it makes it more real, as if we need to prove it exists.

We've all seen the videos.. but really, what have you done after clicking the exit box and going about your day?

Did you change anything?

Did you stand up for injustice?

Or did you go on unchanged, did you shed a tear for the thousands of individuals who have taken their lives or have had their lives taken from them? For the people who cannot get safe healtcare and live with infection, and disease, pain and untreated mental health issues as a result of being afraid of a professionals judgement or their lack of understanding? For the youth who hides who they truly are for fear of consequences and unfair treatment leading to internal hate and suffering in silence?

In the end we only have ourselves and eachother and our combined actions.

Stop making videos telling youth to 'wait until you're older' for happy times, and make videos on how you are going to make change, what you have done to start change in your life and community, show these youth that there is REAL hope for equality through your actions. Actions are much louder than words, and promises are too easliy broken.