--- description: The video was released in collaboration with the It Gets Better Project. title: Watch LGBT Firefighters Share Their Stories in 'It Gets Better' Video image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30b9a87ae632cf88/698867dc0a4a224eea9c6843/lgbt.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LGBT](/tag/lgbt/) ## LGBT Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Watch LGBT Firefighters Share Their Stories in FDNY's 'It Gets Better' Video  by [Tanya Basu](/author/tanya-basu/)  ## Tanya Basu Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 12, 2015 6:05 PM CUT  WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - JUNE 8: Marchers carry a rainbow flag in the LA Pride Parade on June 8, 2014 in West Hollywood, California. The LA Pride Parade and weekend events this year are emphasizing transgender rights and issues. The annual LGBT pride parade begin in 1970, a year after the Stonewall riots, and historically attracts more than 400,000 spectators and participants. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - JUNE 8: Marchers carry a rainbow flag in the LA Pride Parade on June 8, 2014 in West Hollywood, California. The LA Pride Parade and weekend events this year are emphasizing transgender rights and issues. The annual LGBT pride parade begin in 1970, a year after the Stonewall riots, and historically attracts more than 400,000 spectators and participants. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)David McNew—Getty Images  by [Tanya Basu](/author/tanya-basu/)  ## Tanya Basu Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 12, 2015 6:05 PM CUT The FDNY has a message for LGBT youth: it gets better. New York City firefighters filmed a nearly 8-minute PSA for the [It Gets Better Project](http://www.itgetsbetter.org/ "undefined"), and released it on Sunday, for [National Coming Out Day](http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/national-coming-out-day "undefined"). The video features 12 FDNY firefighters, paramedics and EMTs who identify as LGBT, describing everything from their difficulties in coming out to their pride in being emergency responders. “This deep secret, this dark secret, that I was afraid of, that I didn’t want to be me,” firefighter Luke Allen said in the video. Brooke Guinan, a transgender firefighter, also shared her struggles. “I wanted to be just like everyone else,” she said. “I wanted to fit in, I wanted to be accepted, I wanted to be loved.” The [It Gets Better Project](http://www.itgetsbetter.org/ "undefined") was started by sex columnist and LGBT activist Dan Savage in response to a wave of suicides of young people in 2010\. Since then, it’s become a platform against bullying and promotes LGBT rights. “As Firefighters, Paramedics and EMTs in the most diverse city in the world,” New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a [press release,](http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/events/2015/101115a.shtml "undefined") FDNY members have the tremendous opportunity to inspire young people through their brave work every single day.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4070095/fdny-lgbtq-video/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4070095/fdny-lgbtq-video/"},"headline":"Watch LGBT Firefighters Share Their Stories in FDNY's 'It Gets Better' Video","datePublished":"2015-10-12T18:05:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T11:42:57.647Z","description":"\"I wanted to be just like everyone else\"","url":"https://time.com/4070095/fdny-lgbtq-video/","keywords":["LGBT","New York City","LGBTQ"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30b9a87ae632cf88/698867dc0a4a224eea9c6843/lgbt.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tanya Basu","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tanya-basu/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30b9a87ae632cf88/698867dc0a4a224eea9c6843/lgbt.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Los Angeles Holds Annual Gay Pride Parade","caption":"Los Angeles Holds Annual Gay Pride Parade","creditText":"David McNew—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/lgbt/","name":"LGBT"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4070095/fdny-lgbtq-video/","name":"Watch LGBT Firefighters Share Their Stories in FDNY's 'It Gets Better' Video"}}]}] ```