An internet campaign to stamp out the bullying of gay teens drew its highest profile supporter on Thursday with U.S. President Barack Obama telling of his own experiences of being bullied in a video posted on the White House website.
But the man who launched the campaign, Seattle journalist Dan Savage, said Friday that while he appreciated the president’s message, he would like to see him match words with actions, The Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire blog reported.
WATCH THE VIDEO: OBAMA’S STOP BULLYING CAMPAIGN
Savage was referring to the administration’s decision to support, in court, both the Defense of Marriage Act and the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that bars gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
“The president of the United States has the power to do more than assure LGBT kids that it will get better,” Savage said on CNN. “The president of the United States and his administration have the power to make it better.”
Savage launched the “It Gets Better” project after a string of gay teen suicides, including New Jersey college student Tyler Clementi, who jumped to his death from a bridge after classmates posted a live stream on the internet of him having a sexual encounter with another man.
Thousands of people have posted videos on the campaign’s website, itgetsbetterproject.com, including celebrities and other public figures, and more than 10 million views have so far been recorded on the site.
In the latest video, filmed in the Oval Office, Obama said the nation must work together to dispel the myth that bullying is just a part of growing up.
“We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe for all of our kids. To every young person out there, you need to know that if you’re in trouble, there are caring adults who can help,” the president says.
“I don’t know what it’s like to be picked on for being gay, but I do know what it’s like to grow up feeling like sometimes you don’t belong.
“It’s tough and for a lot of kids the sense of being alone or apart can wear on you. When you’re teased or bullied it can seem like somehow you brought it on yourself for being different or not fitting in with anybody else.
“But what I want to say is this, ‘you are not alone, you didn’t do anything wrong, you didn’t do anything to deserve being bullied and there is a whole world waiting for you, filled with possibilities.’
“There are people out there who love you and care about you just the way you are … Things will get better.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton posted a video on the “It Gets Better” site earlier this week.