Twenty gay and lesbian B.C. Mounties have released an “It Gets Better” video explaining how they got through homophobic bullying to lead happy and fulfilling lives as adults.
The emotional 10-minute video is aimed at empowering homosexual youth who may be going through similar experiences the officers struggled with growing up.
Each of the police officers in the video tells their moving and candid story of how they first knew they were gay, the bullying they faced and coming out to their family and friends.
“I was teased at times and ridiculed and called a faggot,” one officer says in the video.
Many give tearful accounts of the taunting they faced in school, the lack of gay, lesbian or transgender role models and the negative stereotypes they had to wade through.
The video, made by the Surrey RCMP Youth Unit, ends with the “It Gets Better” message that has gone viral since columnist Dan Savage started the project in response to cases of gay and lesbian teens committing suicide.
“I’m living a dream. I’ve got the best friends, the best family,” one officer says. “Life certainly does get better.”
Celebrities, politicians and other public figures have made similar videos with the same anti-bullying message in the last two years.
The latest video released by the B.C. Mounties has more than 10,000 views since it was released Monday.
