Raised in conservative Delaware, Ohio, by a Pentecostal minister father, Dwayne Steward learned that being gay is an abomination.
When Steward heard of the It Gets Better Project, he posted a video to YouTube to add his perspective. He will now be the sole Ohio representative in the project’s new book, released last Tuesday.
“I was thinking of what I would say to my 15-year-old self … that little gay black kid,” said Steward, a 2007 Ohio University alumnus and former Post employee.
“Just letting him know it’s going to get better. You’re not the only one.”
After a series of suicides among gay teenagers in the past year as a result of bullying, syndicated columnist Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller created the It Gets Better Project. The project aims to show lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teenagers the vast potential their lives have after their teen years through YouTube videos posted by anyone who wanted to share their story.
The project gained clout as President Barack Obama, TV host Ellen DeGeneres, British Prime Minister David Cameron and other users posted more than 10,000 video messages with more than 35 million international views. Steward posted his video, and it ended up on the homepage of the project with more than 4,800 hits.
“I was really inspired by the videos,” said Steward, a writer and gay rights activist in his hometown. “I wasn’t really seeing any African-Americans being represented or anybody in small towns, so I just wanted … to put that voice out there.”
To continue the message, the project published the book It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living on March 22, which features expanded essays from select contributors, including Steward.
“I’ve been getting responses from all over the world congratulating me and thanking me for my actions,” Steward said. “It’s unexpected … it’s just validating.”
Steward’s video focuses on his struggles as a black teenager who was mocked for acting feminine as he grew up. He gave a shout out to his time spent at OU, where he came out and became involved in the LGBT Center.
“Ohio University is a really open community, and the LGBT Center was just an amazing resource for me,” he said.
Steward helped start the student organization SHADES for multicultural and multiethnic LGBT students. He has since started Queer Corner, a website that discusses LGBT news and culture.
“I’m very excited for Dwayne,” said Mickey Hart, director of the LGBT Center. “LGBT students do great things beyond when they’re here … that’s why we love to have alumni visit campus.”
Steward credits SHADES for providing a support group for him and helping him discover his own personal identity.
“Being gay is just like having a different hair color, it’s just another facet of that person,” he said. “It’s not what defines them … it’s just another part of who they are.”
jc543108@ohiou.edu
@ThePostCulture
