Savage, Dan (1964-…), is an American journalist and an activist for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights. Since 1991, he has written “Savage Love,” an internationally syndicated weekly newspaper column in which he answers readers’ questions on sexual and relationship issues. In 2010, Savage and his husband, Terry Miller, began the It Gets Better Project in response to LGBTQ teen suicides that occurred after bullying or harassment. The project features videos posted on YouTube, a video-sharing website. The videos are designed to offer hope to young LGBTQ people that life will get better after their teen years.
Daniel Keenan Savage was born on Oct. 7, 1964, in Chicago. He earned a bachelor’s degree in theater from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1991, he moved to Seattle to write the “Savage Love” column for The Stranger, an alternative Seattle newspaper begun that year. From 2001 to 2007, Savage served as the paper’s editor-in-chief. In 2007, he became the paper’s editorial director. From 1994 to 1997, Savage also hosted a radio program called “Savage Love Live.” In 2012, he began appearing on the sex and relationship advice MTV show “Savage U.” Savage and Miller were married in Vancouver, Canada, in 2005.
Savage’s books include Savage Love: Straight Answers from America’s Most Popular Sex Columnist (1998), a memoir and collection of his columns; and The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant (1999), which recounts Savage’s experiences during the process of adopting a child with Miller. Savage also wrote Skipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit of Happiness in America (2002); The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family (2005); and American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics (2013). Savage co-edited with Miller It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living (2011), a collection of essays inspired by the It Gets Better Project.
