Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley evokes the memory of gay teens Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Asher Brown, Justin Aaberg and Billy Lucas in his It Gets Better video.

The Democratic senator begins his videotaped message to troubled teens by remembering the recent suicides of five gay teens.

“In the past six months we learned about the tragic deaths of young Asher Brown, Billy Lucas, Justin Aaberg, Seth Walsh and Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide after being bullied because they were gay or perceived to be gay,” Merkley says.

“Sadly, these are just a few of the kids who have been victimized simply for being who they are. It's heartbreaking.”

Merkley goes on to ask adults and other teenagers to get involved when they witness bullying, and urges troubled gay teens contemplating suicide to hang in there.

“Please hang in there, don't give up, it will get better,” he adds. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)

Merkley is the latest politician to join the It Gets Better Project.

Other celebrities and high-profile politicians who have created videos include President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New York Governor David Paterson, Fort Worth Councilman Joel Burns, rocker Adam Lambert and actor Neil Patrick Harris.