Newt Gingrich's "It Gets Better" Message

It Gets Better (I-G-B) (wiki) is a web project developed in response to the suicides of gay teenagers.

It Gets Better hopes to prevent suicides by having adults convey the message that their lives will improve. The project now has its own website, itgetsbetter.org.

Here's an early example from Tim Gunn:


Between YouTube and the It Gets Better website there are more than 10,000 entries, including many celebrities and public figures. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have both posted their own It Gets Better messages.

In an unexpected development, conservative Republican politician and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has posted his own It Gets Better message online.

In his It Gets Better video, Newt Gingrich describes his own teenage difficulties as a 16-year-old in a sexual relationship with his high school math teacher. He talks about the pressures and conflicts involved with being a young person in a non-traditional relationship, dealing with family disapproval and eventually finding an alternative support network.

This is really a surprise. Newt Gingrich's political posture has not been very open or tolerant.