Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
has joined agency employees in creating an It Gets Better video.
The It Gets Better Project was founded
by gay activist Dan Savage. The group's website hosts thousands of
videos from everyday folks to elected officials and celebrities
encouraging troubled gay teens considering suicide to hang in there,
because life gets better.
The 56-year-old Salazar is the latest
official from the Obama administration to record a video for the
campaign.
In the nearly six minute video, Sandra
Washington of the National Park Service, says she was kicked out of
her church when she came out.
“Well I was asked to leave my
church,” she says. “That was a hard thing. I was very committed
to my church growing up. Was a Sunday school teacher. I loved
teaching the youth. I was always excited about Sunday mornings and
when I came out my church pastor and his wife sat me down and said we
can't have you in our church anymore and that hurt.”
Salazar is the last person to speak:
“Things are going to get better. Millions of Americans have been
bullied in this country and as you go through junior high and as you
go through high school I can only guarantee you that it's going to
get better.” (The video is embedded in the right panel of this
page.)