Not long ago, I blogged about It Gets Better, an organization to help fight against bullying of LGBT teens and young adults. Many LGBT teens and young adults have committed suicide recently after bullying and abuse by peers.
To help further raise awareness, October 20th has been declared Spirit Day by Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan. Last year was the first observance, but since then, many organizations such as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and many celebrities are donning purple to show their support. The color and name was derived from the rainbow flag. In the flag, the color purple represents spirit.
In addition to GLAAD, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the PACER (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) Center, and the GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Network are all supporting Spirit Day and the whole month of October as Nationally Bullying Prevention Month.
What celebrities have shown their support for the cause? “Dancing with the Stars” contestants Chaz Bono and Carson Kressley, singer Ricky Martin, comedian Margaret Cho, actress Mia Farrow, actress Karen Olivo, Conan O’Brien, “Top Chef” star Padma Lakshmi, and Wendy Williams have all joined in. “Biggest Loser” trainer Bob Harper, basketball player John Amaechi, and Dr. Drew will also be wearing purple.
Many companies, such as AMC Entertainment, Comcast, PepsiCo, Verizon, Viacom, Yahoo!, and American Airlines are asking employees to wear purple. If you turned on Sundance or MTV today, you may have noticed their logo was purple in support. Even the gateway lights at LAX were going to be in purple.
All the support is wonderful, but it is also important to remember people like Tyler Clementi, Billy Lucas, Asher Brown, Cody J. Barker, Harrison Chase Brown, Caleb Nolt, Jeanine Blachette, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase, and Chantal Dube – all LGBT teens and young adults who took their own lives because they couldn’t ever see how the bullying would end or life would get better.