Recently, people have become more aware of the fact that gay teenagers are almost four times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers. In the last 3 weeks, five suicides of gays have made major headlines, culminating in the vastly publicized death of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers student who jumped from the George Washington Bridge after his roommate posted a streaming video of Clementi in bed with another boy.The Hollywood reaction to these tragic deaths and the homosexual suicide rate in general has been overwhelming. Celebrities have rallied around gay and lesbian teens. Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction wrote an open letter to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer teens, and Perez Hilton (despite normally being one of the biggest bullies in Hollywood) publicized the letter as "wise words" and circulated it on his high-traffic blog.

Several celebs, including Ugly Betty's Michael Urie, have joined the "It Gets Better" YouTube campaign, created by activist/columnist Dan Savage in late September after hearing the story of Billy Lucas, a gay Indiana teenager who committed suicide after years of taunting from schoolmates. In his Sept. 22 column, Savage wrote, "I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things are, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better." He went on to say, "Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk to them right now." Thus, the "It Gets Better" campaign was born, a clearly visible way for anyone with a YouTube account-famous or not, gay or not-to share his or her experiences and offer support. In support, the No H8 campaign's Twitter ("GayIsGr8") posted, "Being gay is like a fine wine.#ItGetsBetter with age!"

For Ellen Degeneres, however, the time for talking is over. "Something must be done," she said on Thursday. "This needs to be a wake-up call to everyone that teenage bullying and teasing is an epidemic in this country. . we have an obligation to change this."

In a video released Oct. 1, Ellen addressed the gay teen suicide tragedy, linking it to bullying and homophobia. "We can't let intolerance and ignorance take another kid's life," she told viewers. To any struggling teens that may have been watching, she said, "People's minds will change, and you should be alive to see it.