Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Wear Purple Today to Show Support for LGBT Youth

We're all familiar with the rainbow banner that has become the international symbol for the LGBT community, but few of us remember that each color has a specific meaning: Red for Life, Orange for Healing, Yellow for Sunlight, Green for Nature, Blue for Serenity and Violet/Purple for Spirit.

GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, has taken up the cause started by a teenager to call attention to and honor those teens who felt so hopeless after suffering unrelenting bullying that they took their own lives. GLAAD explains it this way on their site:

WHAT IS SPIRIT DAY?
The idea behind Spirit Day, first created by teenager Brittany McMillan earlier this month, is a simple one, not dissimilar to the idea of "Spirit Week" held in many high schools, and can be summed up in three words: Everyone Rally Together.
Spirit Day honors the teenagers who had taken their own lives in recent weeks. But just as importantly, it's also a way to show the hundreds of thousands of LGBT youth who face the same pressures and bullying, that there is a vast community of people who support them.
Purple symbolizes 'spirit' on the rainbow flag, a symbol for LGBT Pride that was created by Gilbert Baker in 1978.
As one of the event's Facebook pages says: "This event is not a seminar nor is it a rally. There is NO meeting place. All you have to do is wear purple."
Wearing purple on October 20 is a simple way to show the world that you stand by these courageous young people and a simple way to stand UP to the bullies. Remember those lives we've tragically lost, and show your solidarity with those who are still fighting. 'Go Purple' today!
WEAR PURPLE ON OCTOBER 20 FOR SPIRIT DAY [GLAAD]
GLAAD has a devised an application you can use to change you Twitter and FaceBook profile picture to purple as a show of support. You can visit the site here.
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