Since first launching on TikTok in 2020, the It Gets Better Project has surpassed 200,000 followers, maintaining its position as the number one LGBTQ+ non-profit on the platform.
When Covid forced many LGBTQ+ young people to isolate from their peers in March, 2020, the It Gets Better Project quickly found TikTok to be one of the most effective ways to reach queer kids ages 13-18. Through participation in TikTok’s Creative Learning Fund (CLF), we quickly grew our presence on the platform, live streaming our first Digital Pride Experience, taking part in Creativity For Good, and partnering with TikTok to launch campaigns like #Queerbook.
The It Gets Better Project has also started working with a rotating roster of TikTok Creators who are helping to craft content that speaks to queer youth at various stages of their journey of self-discovery. It Gets Better TikTok has quickly become the go-to safe space for LGBTQ+ youth to ask the questions they can’t ask anywhere else and find their own online queer community.
It Gets Better has posted a number of popular TikTok’s covering a wide range of topics, including “Queer Black History Artists You Should Know”, “Emotional Support English Teachers”, and the revelation that “The Little Mermaid is a Queer Love Story.”
“Through the community of creators we’ve been able to cultivate with the help of TikTok, we’re showing queer kids the many ways in which their world expands when they find a community of support,” It Gets Better Project Director of Communications and PR Ross von Metzke said. “The queer experience comes with its share of challenges — we’re reminded of that every day through headlines and political discourse. But all young people deserve to be well-equipped to lead healthy, gratifying adult lives. TikTok has proven to be one of the most easily accessible ways for us to help support queer kids so they can do just that.”
The It Gets Better Project will continue to grow its presence on TikTok, collaborating with other creators and non-profits on the platform and working directly with TikTok to find new and creative ways to reach queer youth around the globe.