dan, the lighting's bad, but you still look hot.

You looked just fine, dear, but that wallpaper....

you looked fine

Dan, to tame a shiny forehead without wearing pancake or powder, stop by Macys or Sephora and buy a tin of Benefit's Dr. Feelgood complexion balm. It will seriously matte-ify your shineyness.

Dan, Dan, Dan...you look fine here...... but then again you sure look older and more worn out in some of the Lesbian and Gay film festival movies you appeared in this week...... :)..... oh come on! ..... you're a handsome man, get over yourself. you sound like my mother looking at her last christmas picture....

And no matter how you look, holy crap. WHAT A MITZVAH!

You hit all the talking points really well. Great balance of grateful for the message but holding him accountable for actions. And stressing the bullies are wrong and religious right rhetoric is responsible. We have taken over the 'you are hurting the children' argument and it is resonating.

Good points, as always Dan! Sorry you're SO DAMN PUNY these past few weeks.
My good thoughts going your way for some recovery, man.

Great job, Dan! You managed to stay positive and completely focused on helping bullied kids and adolescents to cope whilst still holding the President responsible for unfulfilled promises. Well done!

PS: You looked lovely.

Dan, you looked just fine. And you were really good, too.

I'm straight and would never dare tell gays and lesbians that they should temper their disappointment with Obama, but I'm still a bit amazed by some of the incredibly vitriolic responses to his IGBP video. I think you struck exactly the right note here, telling the White House "Great, now do more to show that you mean it, please."

While I've got some sort of video display glitch going on (I just cant' win some days) so I can't even view your clip at the moment, I've got to register a chortle at your final comment above: "This doesn't have to pass muster with the Texas Board of Education."

Hell, neither would Obama's video!

Way to go.

Oh Princess, you look fine. Nobody looks like a star on Skype anyway. It's the message that counts and you got through o.k. Anything to advertise IGBP so young people know where to go for hope.

I'll tell the truth: you are a handsome man who somehow had his head stretched for the occasion of this interview.

Good job being balanced -- indicating that you appreciate the president's symbolic support with the IGBP, while still pressing that we need Obama to do more and uphold his promises to the LGBT community.

The wallpaper there has always been horrible. And the lighting could make Andy Roddick in his best sweat-soaked tee shirt look like he was inches from the grave.

Good interview, awesome message.

But Bloomingdale? Where are their research minions?

Oh no, porn stars and transvestites?! People are fucking dying, you assholes, and on your watch. You get to express concern over porn stars and transvestites when kids aren't getting bullied to death.

You wouldn't be gay without a little misplaced vanity. But honestly, this project is really helping to turn the tide in this country, and you should be pretty impressed with yourself.

Yes, we're disappointed with the pace of Obama's changes, but can you imagine George W. Bush doing this? Bush was the bullier-in-chief!

Puh-lease. Totally loved the lipstick AND mascara. Anyway, what you are doing is what matters, and it's fantastic.

I agree that you did a fine job with this interview. Thank you for staying focused.

Dan, as someone who spent several hours this week in the cancer center at Cedars, I can tell you unequivocally that you DO NOT look like a cancer patient. I agree though that you do kind of sort of look like a hostage. You're not bald, shiny forehead be damned but that was really just a bad camera angle. Don't use Skype anymore, 'kay.

You were great. Good work.

Great response, and thankfully not "balanced" by an "opposing opinion".

@21: Agree; ironically, the same sort of anti-sex and anti-non-sexually-or-gender-normative attitude that leads these teachers to think that messages of hope from porn stars and transvestites (why is cross-dressing a problem?) are not appropriate for teens and tweens are informing a lot of this anti-gay/anti-non-gender-normative bullying. I mean, shit, these are the people who have been enabling this bullying in the first place; of COURSE Dan isn't listening to them. Fuck off assholes; the First Amendment exists specifically to protect speech you dislike, and IGBP exists specifically to deliver a message of hope from people you consider socially-problematic to kids without needing your permission.

Also, Dan, I thought you looked good (and young, like thirty again; maybe it's the hip earbuds), though that's in comparison to the last video of you that I saw, where you looked like you were on day two of a nasty flu infection. The green cast to the lighting did make it look a little hostage-video, but that just added to the immediacy and drama of the interview.

Dan, Thank you. I'm very proud of you and your efforts and so glad this message is getting out there. Great work.

Dan, Amazing job but yes, you did look like shit. Sorry but a fellow queer's gotta be honest.

Dan, does it freak you out at all that the President knows who you are?

I think you were very diplomatic yet firm in your stance of what we as gays need to see in Obama's actions.

And as far as how you looked in the interview, we're all our own worse critic, so, it's whatever...

"This doesn't have to pass muster with the Texas Board of Education."

Dan Savage - fuck yeah!

I think you put your points well, Dan. A nice balance of "this is great" with "action is still needed".

Lighting tip: In photography ad video, fluorescent light gives a greenish cast, and makes you look ghoulish. Incandescent light gives a warm glow, and makes you look tan and healthy. Skype will always make you look shitty, but you can greatly improve the look by sticking an incandescent bulb in the lamp you're sitting next to.

Vanity aside, I think you gave a perfect balance of appreciation for his words, while still gently demanding that he follow up with actions. Well done.

"This doesn't have to pass muster with the Texas Board of Education."

That deserved repetition.

It's impact among us straight folk cannot not underestimated. Suddenly, that gay child just might be our own; and that, as you know, changes EVERYTHING!

If you're worried about your production values there are a lot of really good webcams out there that have HD quality color and so forth. Maybe do a little invest.

Whether you're deep in the heart of Hoosier country or - gasp - Texas - it gets better. And with the power of music, more better, viz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67w4mctNK…

Please read up on the reasons that DADT must be repealed or declared unconstitutional by the supreme court. Instead of blaming the president you must blame the senate Republicans for obstructing repeal.
PS I think you look cute in the video LOL.

Dan, you looked fine (except I'd perhaps fire whoever cut your hair last time). The important thing is the message, and you stayed on point. Like so many others, I'm extremely proud of you!

Skype always looks bad. So the brain adjusts to that and having adjusted--still comes out that you are a very handsome man -- and your intellect is stunning.

But I finally need to ask--why in Indiana all of the time? And what's with the previous references to classes? I must have missed the memo.
Congrats, Dan. Your work is amazing.

Pssshh! You looked fine, sounded fine. Whats with the headphones?

Great comments, Dan. You came across as sincerely thankful for Obama's support for IGBP, yet resolved in continuing to press for progress on LGBT issues.

To the community, I propose a single, clarifying criteria for judging Obama's video:

If you knew a LGBTQ youth under emotional distress or considering self harm, would you want them to see Obama's video?

I believe the answer to that is an unequivocal yes. Note that I did not say it's a criteria for judging Obama himself or his performance on LGBT issues. That is a critical question, but it's not what IGBP attempts to address. I think one of the strengths of IGBP is how it is specifically targeted to alleviating the plight of LGBTQ youth, something that everyone can and should support. Great job, Dan!

Either skype or the webcam you're using seems to have a vertical stretch which is a bit odd making (after seeing your other videos from the sidebar, for example), though when you smile then you're much more recognizable.

I've been trawling through CNN for any transcripts, but the closest I've got is some from Sept 30 where you were briefly interviewed on your opinion whether something was a hate crime (plus a reference to Tyler Clementi). So they may get one up eventually.

Close as I can find for now:

A bit of an overview, so some idea of what Dan said: Obama Joins “It Gets Better” Campaign. D…

And, uh, a short quote from Dan's own site :)
"Here you have the President of the Unit…

Dan, I thought you looked great, much more colour in your skin than when you had the flu...don't be reaching for the botox quite yet, tay?

@47 BEG: I scribbled this down, apologies for paraphrasing:

Intro by anchor, asks what is Dan's reaction to the president's video:
Dan: "This means a great deal to the LGBT kids across the country", mentions the Facebook bullying, where kids said that people "choose to be gay, so they deserved to be bullied," then says that the president said "you didn't choose to be gay, you didn't choose to be bullied." Continues: "That said, the president has the power to MAKE it better, to stop appealing DADT, to stop defending DOMA in court, and to make the changes he promised us when he was candidate Obama." (Dan goes on to be very appreciative of the president's video contribution, and the fact that he reached out to bullied LGBT kids.) Then he says: "We're looking forward to the president matching words with actions, to actually make it better for LGBTs."
Anchor: (asks a questions that is poorly worded, suggesting that the recent suicides have "helped the campaign.")
Dan: "The campaign wouldn't exist without the bullying, if there were no bullying there would be no need for the project." (or close to that)
Anchor: apologizes for wording, says instead:
"Have the recent suicides brought a renewed focus to LGBT issues?"
Dan: Says yes, mentions that 2/3 of Americans believe that religious anti-gay rhetoric contributes to bullying/suicides. Also mentions that although Obama tells kids to confide in a parent or teacher, that some kids can't do that, because they are bullied by their own parents and/or teachers.
Then they wrap it up...

Canuck -- thank you!

"This doesn't have to pass muster with the Texas Board of Education."

I fucking love it!

P.S. We've all seen plenty of shitty quality videos on our computers, Dan, no need to be self-conscious.

Dan

Don't knock yourself! That was amazing interview; you pulled up the guy on 'campaign' perfectly, brought it back immediately to the kids suffering, and named and shamed the bullies claiming that it was ok to bully lgbt people because it was all their fault for 'choosing to be gay', by pointing out that the President of the United States knew that it was the bullies who were wrong.

You were polite, grateful that he had made the video, but firm on President Obama's track record; you did not let him off the hook but you recognised that for kids in a terrible situation the understanding that the President thought they were worthwhile people could save their lives.

I cannot think of any way you could have improved on your performance. Shiny forehead or no shiny forehead.

It's hit the media over here in England really well, and hopefully we'll see a similar initiative starting up this side of the pond; you are a great representative for your country and for all the really decent people who live in your country.

I'd cheer out loud, but I'm hoarse from cheering Whoopi Goldberg last night in Sister Act; I hope you don't mind, since it's a great musical!

Please just keep on going; this is a fight that all of us, lgbt and straight, have to fight so that it gets better...

Dan, great interview, and thank you for speaking so professionally and calm now you are given then chance to be interviewed for the IGBP on TV....it shows that even if disappointed by Obama (as I am as well), activists on the progressive side can talk calmly and professionally about these important issues and do not have to themselves become ignorant and hateful and agressive like so many pundits on the right are when talking about their issues....Thank you!

bully's, bully's, bully's oh comon enough is enough allready. people have been getting picked on since there has been more than 3 of them on the face of the earth.quit whining how we need a law to protect every individual on the planet with a specific veiw point for shits sake. some times you just need to toughen up goddamit. billions yes billions of people have been picked on in mankinds history and you know what ? they lived! none of them needed the presidents help ,or yours , or mine , or anybodys. bully's are a fact of life ,and this utopia of everyone getting along and skipping down the lane together is NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN EVER!!! So deal with it ! no law , or hate crime legislation is going to change that people. as for the college guy that got filmed takin it up the bum and killed himself well thats a tragedy but not a murder. if he hated the stigma of bein a poo pusher (as described by lisa lampenelli) maybe he shoulda not played with a peter that wasn't his.every one screaming for his roomate and the other girl being charged with murder and what not is bullshit, they didn't want him to die they were just f'in with him the way college kids do. dorm sex gets web cammed all the time,and 999% of the time people forget about your video as soon as the next vid comes out. most peeps really don't give a shit whether your pitching or catching for a particular team. they just wanna know whether you ever pick up a bat or not. you can whine and legislate all you want but human nature is this, give a person a target they will usually shoot. victims of bullying usually perpetuate their own situations with the way they handle them.running to mommy,telling the teacher, calling a cop,or whining to the president what have you , just egg's the bullys on. most can be disuaded by either ignoring them , or taking the game to them. I got got picked on as a kid , i took it for a while which egged them on. i finally got sick of it and stood up to the bigger meaner kids , so what if i got my ass whooped because you know what? they moved on to greener pastures. later in life I became a Marine and toughened up ,and yes I went went back to whoop some ass and you know what ? they didn't even remember what i was talking about , and most apologized . why because they were "KID'S" !! AND KIDS DO STUPID SHIT! Now an adult bully who knows what he's doing , and does it anyway is just a dumass who will get their's in the end one way or another.So you can wave your rainbow flags , and wear your purple crap, and boo hoo all you want too . Just remember in the end there will all ways be some one around the corner waiting to be the next bully , and there aint a goddam thing you can do about it. so does it get better? yes. does it suck? absolutely. will bullying end? yes when thers only one person left on the planet , mean while DEAL WITH IT! AND QUIT BEING SUCH A SISSY!

lol, I see what you mean Dan but you're easily forgiven.

I completely agree with all you said, Dan. While it's great to see President Obama make the effort, join your amazing project, and reach out to the LGBT kids in need...it's still so disheartening that he truly does have the power to make it better, but instead he seems content to sit and wait for it to get better.