Gay Teens Struggle Between Identity And Conformity In Emotional PSA

Two gay teens grasp for a safe place to embrace their identity among peers in the new PSA “Love” for NYC-based non-profit Mythic Bridge. The powerful PSA, directed by Backyard’s Xander, is a continuation of the “Change the Script” campaign from creative agencies Rabbit, Rabbit & Partners and Happy United. The spot depicts the timidness and innocence of budding young love in contrast with the distress and confusion of being an outlier as two teen girls contend with the pull of their heads vs. their hearts. The piece takes a meta approach to peer into Mythic Bridge’s youth filmmaking workshops, showing the girls leaning in for a kiss and cutting to a film set of teens working with mentors to bring these timely and underrepresented issues to light.

Mythic Bridge, with co-founders Gage Cass Woodle and Donald Klein, is a non-profit that uses the transformative power of filmmaking to enable at-risk youth to actualize their potential. The campaign will support Mythic Bridge’s LGBTQ filmmaking workshops through a Kickstarter campaign. This programming creates a supportive community for LGBTQ youth and their straight peers to safely express themselves, uncovering personal experiences and transforming them into narrative storytelling. 

Having launched with an impactful PSA on the prevalence of suicide attempts among gay teens, the campaign continues to leverage storytelling to raise awareness, while simultaneously providing a constructive outlet for personal struggles. The PSA brings to light the issue that 64% of LGBTQ youth feel unsafe at school due to their sexual orientation*. Xander directed the spot and also served as a mentor on set, enacting the mission of the non-profit, while also crafting narratives to help spread their message. 

*Based on The National School Climate Survey conducted by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in 2011