ABOVE: Photo via GLAAD.
From celebrities, politicians and big-name brands to TV news people, pro athletes and their teams, people are putting their purple on Oct. 20 to mark Spirit Day.
The annual event, organized by GLAAD for more than a decade, provides visible support for LGBTQ youth in what the group calls the world’s largest anti-bullying campaign.
The reason Spirit Day is so named and marked by wearing the color purple, or changing a brand logo to purple, is because of the purple stripe among the rainbow colors of the Pride flag, symbolizing “spirit.” Like the color purple, its message is bold and clear: We support LGBTQ youth and oppose bullying.
According to GLAAD, the annual tradition was started in 2010 by a Canadian high school student, Brittany McMillan. She created the event with a post on Tumblr, in memory of the LGBTQ youth who died by suicide. McMillian encouraged her friends to wear purple on Oct. 20 to send a message of support.
The celebration kicked off Wednesday night with GLAAD’s Spirit Day Benefit Concert in Los Angeles, sponsored by Ketel One, M&M’s and the WWE.
Jujubee of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” leads a who’s who of famous names taking part, from the cast of “The L Word: Generation Q” to Margaret Cho, Wilson Cruz, Adam Rippon, Wanda Sykes, Jeopardy! champion Any Schneider and more.
Even New York City’s most iconic landmark skyscraper, the Empire State Building, is getting in on the act; Jujubee will flip the switch late Oct. 20 to bathe the tower in bright purple light.
According to “The Hollywood Reporter,” country music star Maren Morris is doing her part for Spirit Day by selling a shirt bearing the slogan “You Have a Seat at This Table.” All the proceeds support GLAAD’s work with LGBTQ youth.
Some other notables taking part this year include Chris Mosier, Jason Collins, Aly and AJ, Ben Aldridge, Louis Van Amstel, Jonathan Bennett, Mayim Bialik, Sterling K. Brown, Kristin Cavallari, Shannon Dang, Ken Jeong, Carson Kressly, Idina Menzel, Netta, Jim Parsons, DJ “Shangela” Pierce, Jai Rodriguez, Jake Wesley Rogers, Lily Rose and the list goes on.
Advocacy groups GLSEN, the Trevor Project, +Life and GSA clubs in schools across the country will take part as well.
On Broadway, the casts of “Moulin Rogue! The Musical,” “Into the Woods” and “1776” are participating. iHeart Media will support Spirit Day with PSAs on its stations for the sixth consecutive year.
Other corporate sponsors include Kellogg’s, Sally Hansen, Target, Visible, Amazon Corporate Security, Kirkland & Ellis, L’Oreal/ Viktor and Rolf, the MLB, the NBA, the WNBA, the NFL, Skittles and Taimi.
Landmarks besides the Empire State Building, include Chicago’s Mars Wrigley Building, Mars buildings in Newark, N.J., the Spheres at Amazon’s Seattle campus and HQ2 in Arlington, Va., the Stonewall National Monument Visitor’s Center, the ViacomCBS headquarters in Times Square as well as the NASDAQ, M&M’s, Skittles and American Eagle billboards there.
Other participants include Athlete Ally, Spanish-language channels and programs including “The Q Agenda,” “Despierta América,” “Hoy Día,” Telemundo, TelevisaUnivision and Pantaya. ABC and ABC Owned Television Stations, CBS, PBS and the NBCUniversal networks, including hosts of the “Today” show will join with Hulu, National Geographic and the Freeform network are partners with GLAAD for this event.
Faith organizations and individuals including the United Church of Christ, the Naming Project and Affirming Youth Ministries, Rev. Mark Fowler, Father James Martin, Deacon Ross Murray, Bishop Kevin Strickland, among others, will also participate.
Find out more about Spirit Day by clicking here.
