As a queer teacher in Texas, I could have used this opportunity.

Before I started working at It Gets Better, I was a teacher in San Antonio, Texas with a passion for reading and writing. That’s no surprise. My happy place has always been in a book where I am free to go anywhere and to be any character I want to be. I would often tell my students – only your imagination is your limit.

Unfortunately, life as a queer educator in Texas was very different from the life I could create for myself in a book. At the time, Texas offered disappointingly few protections for LGBTQ+ people (and still does). I distinctly remember the day my principal told me not to be out to my students —if they or their parents were to complain, there was absolutely nothing the school would do to protect me.

How could I inspire my students 
if I myself was limited in who I could be and in how far I could dream? 

That’s why I love working at It Gets Better, a place where I get to dream up ways to make the world better for students and educators like me. That’s how we came up with 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices, a program/fund that awards at least one school in every US state with up to $10,000 for projects to uplift, empower, and connect LGBTQ+ students.

If I’d had the funds while teaching in Texas, I would have created an LGBTQ+ inclusive library in my classroom together with my students. But your options are endless! 

What would you and your LGBTQ+ students do with $10,000? 

• Would you plant a community garden? 
• Would you organize a Pride event?
• Would you paint a mural, design a float, or host an inclusive prom?

If you’re a student or a teacher, work with others on your middle school or high school campus to submit an idea before the deadline on April 1, 2024. With these funds, you could start transforming your campus for the better, too.

Only your imagination is your limit. So dream big.