Proudly Supporting #SpiritDay 2015

The Purpose staff wore their best purple wardrobe items on October 15th to show support for. GLAAD started Spirit Day in 2010 following a rash of LGBT teen suicides, including the Tyler Clamenti tragedy. GLAAD’s Spirit Day

Spirit Day was created to mobilize schools, companies, celebrities, and media outlets to wear purple or express solidarily on social media to take a unified stand against bullying. The day takes place during October each year, which is National Bullying Prevention Month. It has become the most visible day of support for LGBT youth and has grown each year with millions now taking a stand against bullying.

Despite all of the progress and big legal wins for the LGBT community over the past few years, school and in some cases even their own homes can still be scary places for young LGBT people. According to GLSEN’s 2013 National School Climate Survey, 8 out of 10 LGBT students experience harassment at school, and over 60% of LGBT students who did report a bullying case said their school staff did nothing.

Clearly, much work needs to be done to ensure that LGBT youth have the opportunity to realize their full potential and to lead a safe and happy life. We stand with GLAAD to let LGBT young people know that we have their back and that real change is on the way.

We asked some members of the Purpose team why they went purple for Spirit Day. Here’s what they said: 

“I wore purple for #SpriritDay because I want everyone in this community of humans to know that I have nothing but love and support to give to my colleagues, friends, family, and strangers. #SpiritDay is about inclusion and I want that for all.”  -Christina Aguilar

“I wore purple for #SpiritDay because LGBT youth need more champions to lift them up, not push them down. Bullying has no place in today’s society.” -Ken Bukoski

“Anything we can do to show LGBT youth that they are not alone and there are many people that stand by them is a win!” -Annie Melia 

“I wore purple because while growing up in a small, relatively close-minded community in rural New Hampshire, I would have felt stronger, safer, and more hopeful knowing that there was a huge wave of support across the country (and world!) for LGBT youth. Engaging with questions of one’s own identity is always complex, even without adding the stress of bullying to the equation. So the creation of deliberate space for allies and the broader community to express solidarity with these kids is one incredibly tangible way to help reduce that needless stress for them and refocus their energy on what really matters – living their best, truest lives.” -Robert Ross 

Now that Spirit Day has passed, it’s important to keep the momentum of support for LGBT youth going and to maintain vigilance for bullying. Keep an eye out for the youth in your life, ask how things are going, and look for opportunities, like Spirit Day, where to visibly show your support for the LGBT youth in your community.