Ideas worth spreading

A message to gay teens: It gets better

322,791 views |

Joel Burns |

Fort Worth City Council

• October 2010

In a courageous, intensely emotional talk at the city council in Fort Worth, Texas, councilman Joel Burns reaches out to the targets of teen bullying -- kids who are gay, perceived as gay, or just different -- with a vital message about their lives, and the harassment they face.

In a courageous, intensely emotional talk at the city council in Fort Worth, Texas, councilman Joel Burns reaches out to the targets of teen bullying -- kids who are gay, perceived as gay, or just different -- with a vital message about their lives, and the harassment they face.

This video is a TED "Best of the Web" pick, featuring a remarkable idea available on the internet from an independent creator. This idea didn’t come from TED, but TED is thrilled to spread it. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Joel Burns

Joel Burns

City councilman

Amid a rise in bullying and a rash of teen suicides, politician Joel Burns spoke up at an otherwise ordinary city council meeting and delivered a powerful message to teens tormented for being gay.

About Best of the Web

Best of the Web, like the rest of TED.com, involves compelling people and ideas. But unlike TED Talks, these videos don't come from TED or our partner conferences: they're curated from around the internet, drawing on freely available videos from creators with an idea worth spreading.

This video is a TED "Best of the Web" pick, featuring a remarkable idea available on the internet from an independent creator. This idea didn’t come from TED, but TED is thrilled to spread it. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.