What We Love: OK4U2BGAY
Courtesy of H8SUX
Kids who are being bullied may rarely think they have a voice. But thanks to a new T-shirt company, tweens and teens have another way to speak out about LGBT issues that are important to them.
H8SUK introduced a new line of merchandise that talks frankly about being gay, being bullied and wanting equality regardless of sexual orientation or gender. The goal, says the company’s mission statement, is to encourage kids to stand up for themselves and each other using fashion.
“We are recruiting kids to the cause of promoting the acceptance of homosexuality in schools,” says Luke Montgomery, director of a new H8SUX video about the company’s T-shirt campaign. “In a world full of bullies, suicide and hate, thousands of school kids wearing a pro-gay message in classrooms can be lifesaving and great. Kids are born gay, lesbian, bi and trans – and when I came out at 15, I was brutally beaten and left unconscious and bloody in a ditch. In 2012, kids should not be bullied and attacked just for being who they are.”
The organization’s offering a free OK4U2BGAY T-shirt to any teen who creates his or her own YouTube pledge to speak out against homophobia. “This free T-shirt will be a pro-gay billboard plastered on the chests of thousands of kids in classrooms across the nation,” says Montgomery. “Our agenda is simple: to tell kids that it’s OK4U2BGAY.”
Other tees available feature slogans like “Legalize Love” and “Bullies Suck.” The H8SUX website is also making an appeal to adults. “For every hoodie, tank to or tee sold on H8SUX.com, the organization will give a teen an OK4U2BGAY tee for free,” says Montgomery, who is launching a Pink School Bus Tour with T-shirt and wristband giveaways at schools around the country.
He also created a teen-friendly video (inspired by the hit Fox TV show “Glee”) touting the campaign. Check it out:
