In the past few months the media, at least the gay media, has been following two significant stories. The It Gets Better campaign and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) repeal. While seemingly they don’t have much to do with one another when you examine things more closely they are very much tied to one another.

On the one hand you have the out pouring of positivity towards the It Gets Better campaign, well except for maybe FOX news which hasn’t said much on it at all save a single article. On the other hand you have the political posturing and intensely heated debates on not just the repeal of DADT but Queer rights in general.

What the media has not been doing is diving deeper into the root causes as to why this is happening in schools and how to curb bullying in an effort to lower the rate at which young Queer people commit or attempt suicide in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts. Much like with the case of the Native community here in Canada a chief cause is one of hopelessness that has been created through being treated as a second class citizen by the state. When you truly get into it this is a rights issue.

When people are seen as less than equal in the eyes of the law it makes it that much easier for individuals within society to view the oppressed group the same way. Whether that is because of the government largely ignoring an entire group of people and their needs, as has been the case with the Native communities here in Canada (among many other issues that go back generations and will take generations to fix) or through laws which denigrate an entire group of people, which is what the Queer population face in the U.S.

DADT is part of the systemic oppression that has allowed people to feel it is okay to bully someone simply based on their sexual orientation. It reinforces stereotypes that we are not fit to fight, or that we are some sort sex crazed beast that can’t act professionally and will hit on fellow soldiers. It is part of the systemic oppression that makes Queer people think that they are less than and that there is no hope. This is the story that the media has failed to delve into, however, that would require some ounce of actual journalism which hasn’t really existed in the United States (or Canada for that matter) since 9/11.

It is quite annoying then when people who are part of the problem in continuing this systemic oppression make videos saying “It Gets Better”. People like Barack Obama can’t say It Gets Better one day and then voice their opposition to same-sex marriage the next. Organizations like the GOProud or Log Cabin Republicans can’t claim It Gets Better and then turn around and put money into the hands of people like Ann Coulter or award politicians who have worked against Queer rights. If, as an elected official or person of influence, you really want to show that It Gets Better then be part of the solution. Don’t simply make a video that makes it easier for you to sleep at night. Ask for a repeal of DADT, support civil-unions and same-sex marriage measures, support a federal non-discrimination act, support the right for same-sex couples and openly Queer people to adopt. These are the changes that the country needs in order to show people that we are no different, that we are equal and deserve to be treated as such. Otherwise when the government doesn’t treat us as equal then why should everyday people feel obliged to treat us that way?

While things can get better for an individual and while the It Gets Better videos can certainly offer someone hope who needs it they do not address the core problem and that needs to be talked about. I have no doubt that things will get better but there are certain people who have the opportunity to make things better now instead of some vague point in the future. Those people are politicians and the media.

Contact your local representatives in all forms of government and let them know that they have the opportunity to make things better now by fixing the inequality we are facing today. Contact news agencies and urge them to tell the full story as to why these suicides and this bullying is occurring. You have a voice for a reason, speak up and tell people to make things better now.