If you’re not aware of the “It gets better campaign”, one of the best videos to familiarise yourself with it is the one done recently by Apple employees. Not because it’s from Apple employees, but because of the stories that are told in it:
I think this is a fantastic campaign. Growing up gay and going to a country town high school during the 80’s was a pretty isolated time – and I was one of the lucky ones. By the time I hit my last two years of high school, I was able to come out and find acceptance amongst friends. But it makes me incredibly sad that decades on, teens are still facing the most appalling bullying at school for the barest hint that they may be gay, lesbian or transgender.
But GBLTI people come in all shapes and sizes, and participate in all industries, including IT storage tech.
So here’s the open challenge I issue to EMC, NetApp, HP, HDS, IBM, etc. Put aside your differences, get your PR people to speak to each other, and speak to the “It Gets Better” campaign people. Organise a joint video representing the storage industry, and put another message out there. Help to drown out the hateful messages from the bullies and the bigots by adding to the chorus of companies and industries that dare to tell the simple message to GBLTI teens: It gets better.