another eye opens

It’s hard not to admire every one of the zillions of “It Gets Better” videos that have been created in response to the rash of suicides by kids who’ve been bullied and bashed for being gay or just different but the best one I’ve seen so far is this one by the Broadway theater community. Instigated by the [title of show] wunderkinder Heidi Blickenstiff, Hunter Bell, and Susan Blackwell, it’s simple and smart. You would think it’s easy for Broadway actors and theater people to come out and be open but really? It’s never happened before on this scale.

Bryan Batt, Charles Busch, Kevin Chamberlain, Wilson Cruz, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Joanna Gleason, Judy Gold, Robyn Goodman and Anna Louizos, Cherry Jones (top of post), Moisés Kaufman, Zoe Kazan, Nathan Lane, Tyler Maynard, Audra McDonald, Michael McElroy, Terrence McNally and Tom Kirdahy (above), Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jerry Mitchell, Julia Murney, Denis O’Hare, Karen Olivo, Anika Noni Rose, Seth Rudetsky, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, Christopher Sieber, John Tartaglia, and  Lucy Thurber are just some of the people who show up in the video. It’s 12 minutes long and takes a while to load, but definitely worth watching. Get out your Kleenex. I like that it’s not just platitudes about how tough it was and it’ll get better. They also point out that what made you different as a kid makes you exceptional as an adult. They urge adults to teach acceptance, kindness, and respect. And they talk about what they lived to accomplish and what made it worth hanging in there for. Denis O’Hare (below) says, “I’m skinnier and better-looking than anyone I went to high school with.”