Dan Savage Speaks at UWM

Over 500 people came to the UW-Milwaukee Union Ballroom at Tuesday night to see guest speaker Dan Savage. The evening’s discourse covered sex, politics, and everything in between.

Savage is most notably recognized for his national column and pod cast ‘Savage Love.’ He has recently used this column to transition into political punditry for the LGBT community.

The event’s structure came from anonymous questions submitted by the audiences. One central topic was The It Gets Better Project, a nonprofit website and movement Savage began in response to recent LGBT teen suicides. Savage’s inspiration for the movement came after the suicide of bullied LGBT teen Billy Lucas, 15, from Greensburg, IN.

The site compiles user submitted videos with a focus on encouraging LGBT teens. According to the project website, the movement has grown to over 10,000 user created videos that have been viewed over 35 million times to date.

Savage was even given room for his punditry when he was asked for his opinion on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Savage called the governor a hypocrite and also gave his support for Wisconsin voters. “Wisconsin has inspired the entire country on social issues,” said Savage.

The night primarily consisted as an open sex talk forum where Savage spoke on his views against monogamy, condom use, bisexuality, and much more

The event’s sponsors included UWM’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center, Peer Health Advocates, and local adult store The Tool Shed.

LGBT Resource Center Program Coordinator Warren Scherer, 28, knew the importance of reaching LGBT youth from his own past experience.

“In the work that I have done, I have witnessed LGBT youth who have been brutalized by their parents because they are LGBT,” said Scherer. “(I) have had young people who have completed suicide as a result of being victimized.”

The It Gets Better Project

Savage paused from answering index cards to speak on the It Gets Better Project and the need to reach teens like Lucas.

Savage described how the bullying classmates drove Lucas to hang himself in his grandmother’s barn. Even after his death the school bullies continued to mock him on a memorial facebook page created by his bereaved family members. After this, a man shouted, “F*** them,” from some where in the audience.

According to Savage, Lucas, and other LGBT teens like him have committed or attempted suicide because they could not picture a happier or better future.

According to the project’s website (link to www.itgetsbetter.org)

• 9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment at school
• More than 1/3 of LGBT kids have attempted suicide
• LGBT kids are Four times as likely to attempt suicide then their straight peers

Prior to the project Savage found reaching out to LGBT teens near impossible. Whenever he tried to reach out to teens in rural or conservative areas, he was accused of being a pedophile or a recruiter. Because of this, he felt it was these teens in particular who needed the most support.

The It gets Better Project is now able to circumvent that by reaching out to teens in need through online social media, specifically youtube.

“We are talking to these kids whether their parents want us to or not,” said Savage. “We are talking to these kids in their parent’s house, in their room, under their covers, at night.”

Savage however does not like to take full credit for the project. Since the organization is built by user submitted video, Savage likes to give credit where it is due.

Savage asked who in the audience had submitted a video to the project. When a few people raised their hands, Savage said, “The project is what it is because of you.” The audience then gave a round of applause for the project supporters.

Sex, Politics, and Marriage

Right before Savage read the first question of the evening he said, “Where ever this goes, however inappropriate, weird, lewd, fist-f***y, you have no one to blame but yourselves.”

The majority of the submitted questions related to relationship advice. One girl asked for advice on how to tell her boyfriend she is bi-sexual. Savage advised her to tell him, assuming any heterosexual guy would be interested.

Even Wisconsin politics became an issue of discussion when Savage was asked about his opinion of Scott Walker. “It seems Scott Walker has done a fantastic job of dragging Scott Walker’s name through the (filth),” said Savage.

Savage was also asked how to know if a partner was the elusive ‘one.’ “There ain’t no ‘one,’ it’s a 0.64 that you round up to one,” said Savage. “You make them the one.”

This specific area in particular was one in which Savage held a strong opinion. The column writer felt that monogamy was something that men are not meant for. Savage himself is married, but only describes him and his partner as a “monogam-ish” couple.

Crowd Reactions 

Jia Feng came to the event because of her love for Savage’s column and pod cast. The biology grad student said that she rarely finds topics in Savage Love that she does not relate to.

However more than just Savage’s sex advice spoke to her. “I was very moved by the stories of all the kids who committed suicide,” said Feng. “I was sitting there with tears in my eyes.”

The LGBT Resource center brought Savage to UWM because they felt he would be an inclusive speaker for all who would attend.

The event’s coordinator Scherer especially understood the importance for teenagers to have an adult role model and mentor.

“When I was 17 I joined am LGBT youth group and I think that I got a lot out of that group,” said Scherer. “I found some phenomenal adults who were role models, who helped reign in my zany personality in group settings. (It) really helped me picture what my future could be as an adult.”