NEW YORK, N.Y. (February 1, 2012) — MTV and Logo, two Viacom networks, jointly announced today that Dan Savage, syndicated columnist, author, co-creator of the It Gets Better Project, and star of MTV's upcoming series "Savage U," will anchor a 60-minute "It Gets Better" special, which will spotlight the emotional and societal struggles many LGBT youth face. "It Gets Better" will air on both MTV and Logo on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
"It Gets Better" will focus on the stories of three young people at a crossroads in their lives: a young man struggling to tell his family and friends that he is gay; a lesbian fighting for parental acceptance; and a transgender man preparing to get married.
In addition, video messages containing sentiments of hope and support from Savage and his partner Terry Miller, along with Adam Levine, Zachary Quinto, Margaret Cho, Chaz Bono, Tim Mcllarth and Brandon Barnes of Rise Against, Vinny Guadagnino, Dave Holmes, Sia and Jake Shears, will be included in the "It Gets Better" special.
"The lives of these three young people will resonate with millions of teens — gay and straight — who are being bullied for simply being themselves," said Savage. "It's so important they know that things get better and that living openly and honestly and being who you are makes it better. They have so many great moments ahead of them and they will do things they never thought possible — so long as they keep fighting, stay positive, and stay with us."
Dan Savage also stars in MTV's upcoming series "Savage U," set to premiere this Spring, which follows Savage, along with his sidekick Lauren Hutchinson, as they travel across the country to different college campuses, offering a crash course to students on relationships, responsibility, sex, love and life. Savage previously appeared on the after show for MTV's original movie "(DIS)CONNECTED."
In September 2010, Savage created a YouTube video with his partner Terry Miller to inspire hope for young people facing harassment. In response to a number of students taking their own lives after being bullied in school, they wanted to create a personal way for supporters everywhere to tell LGBT youth that, yes, it does indeed get better.
More than a year later, the It Gets Better Project has turned into a worldwide movement, inspiring more than 30,000 user-created videos viewed more than 40 million times. To date, the project has received submissions from celebrities, organizations, activists, politicians and media personalities, including President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Adam Lambert, Anne Hathaway, Colin Farrell, Matthew Morrison of "Glee", Joe Jonas, Joel Madden, Ke$ha, Sarah Silverman, Tim Gunn, Ellen DeGeneres, Suze Orman, the staffs of The Gap, Google, Facebook, Pixar, the Broadway community, and many more.
Savage and his producing partner Brian Pines are executive producers of the "It Gets Better" special, along with Ted Skillman and Belisa Balaban of Snackaholic Productions, as well as John Ferriter and Brian Speiser for Octagon Entertainment. Shannon Fitzgerald and Christy Spitzer are executive producers for MTV, with Tamar Zohar and Brittany Lutz serving as executives in charge of production for the network. The "It Gets Better" special is produced by MTV, Savage Media LLC, Octagon Entertainment and Snackaholic Productions.
For more information, visit ItGetsBetter.org and MTV.com .
