Obama To Gay Teens: Things Will Get Better

President Barack Obama decried the threat of harassment facing gay teens in a video message released by the White House Thursday evening.

“We’ve got to dispel the myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage – that it’s some inevitable part of growing up.  It’s not,” Obama said.

The President also directed his comments to the teens themselves, promising that “things will get better.”

At one point, Obama related the experiences of bullied gays to his growing up.

“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 that sometimes you don’t belong.  It’s tough,” Obama said. 

The President’s message comes amid a rash of reported suicides among gay teenagers. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a similar message.