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LGBT high school students write letters to their 40-year-old selves in a new video produced by the Youth Committee of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance. In the video entitled “Dear 40-Year-Old Me” several students read aloud letters they’ve written to their older selves looking back at the tribulations and subsequent triumphs they faced in high school.
They rattle off statistics on bullying that are often hard to hear. For instance, one student says to her older self, “In that study back then 9 out of 10 students heard comments like ‘fag’ or ‘dyke.’”
A release about the video and the Alliance further explains:
“As the young people in the video share such personal, raw anecdotes about their lives, a universal theme emerges: change is both possible and empowering. The stories trace how young people have transformed through their involvement with the Alliance, from feeling marginalized to being an integral part of policy changes at both a district and statewide level.”
Toward the end of the video one student warns her older self that, “Your kids names better be gender neutral. Right now I’m digging Riley, Tegan…”
Watch the incredibly moving video below:
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
