Audra McDonald, Nick Adams, et al. Wear Purple for Spirit Day!

Today, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) joins millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and allies by participating in Spirit Day and wearing purple. Wearing purple on this day symbolizes support for LGBT youth and taking a stand against bullying. For more information, visit: www.glaad.org/spiritday. #SpiritDay is currently trending worldwide on Twitter.

"From Hollywood to corporate America to local grassroots advocates, Americans are taking a stand against bullying this Spirit Day and showing all LGBT teens that it's okay to be who you are," said GLAAD President Mike Thompson.

GLAAD is working with organizations including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the PACER Center, GLSEN, GSA Network, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), PFLAG and The Trevor Project as part of National Bullying Prevention Month to inspire Americans to wear purple on Spirit Day.

Tyra Banks, Ellen Degeneres, Craig Ferguson, Conan O'Brien, Regis &Kelly, and Wendy Williams will wear purple on national talk shows aswell as hosts of Access Hollywood, CNBC, E! Online, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Noticiero Telemundo, The Talk, and The View.

Cher, Chaz Bono, Mia Farrow, Heather Graham, Gloria Allred, Lukas Haas, Audra McDonald, Ricky Martin, Joel McHale, Julianne Moore, Suze Orman, Sara Ramirez, Joan Rivers, Paulina Rubio, Tori Spelling, and stars of the WWE will join cast members of TeenNick's Degrassi as well as Pauly D, Sammi Giancola and Vinny Guadagnino of MTV's Jersey Shore and Farrah Abraham, Tyler Baltierra, Maci Bookout and Catelynn Lowell of Teen Mom.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) will turn its Twitter logo purple. Other celebrities ‘going purple' on Twitter include Tyra Banks, Andy Cohen, Leah Remini, plus stars of BRAVO's Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, New York, New Jersey and Orange County.

Supporters are also changing their Facebook and Twitter photos purple using free applications to turn profile photos purple at www.glaad.org/spiritday. GLAAD partnered with Mobli to create a Spirit
Day channel for Mobli apps on Android, Blackberry and iPhone products.

MTV will turn its on-air logo purple along with the network's Facebook, Twitter, MTV.com and MTV Act logos. Online and on-air logos for MTV2, mtvU, MTV Hits, MTV Jams and RateMyProfessors.com will also turn purple. MTV 44 and ½, the jumbotron in Times Square, will also light purple for Spirit Day.

The Sundance Channel, LOGO and the Jewish Home Life Channel have announced that on-air logos will be purple. Just Jared, People en Espanol, Seventeen magazine, TooFab.com and X17 Online announced that their online logos will appear in purple.

The LAX Gateway lights at Los Angeles International Airport will also be lit purple.

Previously announced companies that will participate include AMC Entertainment, American Airlines, AT&T, B|W|R Public Relations, Comcast, Delta, Draftfcb, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Hewlett-Packard, McGraw-Hill, NBCUniversal, Nielsen, PepsiCo, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Verizon, Viacom and Yahoo!. Participating companies will be distributing information to employees about wearing purple; some have also pledged to turn logos purple for the day. For more information on specific plans, visit: www.glaad.org/spiritday/corporate.

Facebook distributed Spirit Day information to employees around the globe. Facebook Diversity and Facebook Safety pages will also turn purple. Facebook and the Network of Support will be urging users to sign the Stop Bullying: Speak Up social pledge at http://facebook.com/stopbullyingspeakup 

As previously announced, LOGO will air a Spirit Day purple ribbon on the channel to drive viewers to NewNowNext.com to increase awareness against bullying. Additionally, their Twitter (@LogoTV) and Facebook photos will ‘go purple' and pictures of staff, fans and talent will be posted to Tumblr throughout the day.

Here Media will turn logos on Advocate.com, Gay.com, Gay.net, Out.com, OutTraveler.com and SheWired.com purple for the day.

Spirit Day was started in 2010 by teenager Brittany McMillan as a way to show support for LGBT youth and remember those lives lost to suicide. Millions of teachers, workplaces, media personalities and students wore purple, which symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag.

Spirit Day coincides with GLSEN's ‘Ally Week' (October 17-21), a week for students to organize events that serve to identify, support and celebrate allies against anti-LGBT language, bullying and harassment in America's schools and communities. GLSEN has partnered with GLAAD to promote Spirit Day as an event for students to participate in during ‘Ally Week.' For more information about ‘Ally Week,' visit www.allyweek.org.

 

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos

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