Faith-based organizations across the country showed their spirit by going purple for #SpiritDay this year, supporting LGBTQ+ youth and taking a stand against bullying. By going purple in visible and public ways, these faith groups have come together to send a message of pride, acceptance, and encouragement for LGBTQ+ youth both in the US and abroad.
Here are some of the amazing groups that have gone purple for LGBTQ+ youth:
Father James Martin, editor of America Magazine, as well as the subject of the recent documentary film Building a Bridge, posted his message.
Today is #SpiritDay when we wear purple to show our support of LGBTQ youth and take a stand against the harassment, bullying and violence directed against them. And every Christian in every country should support this. Just think of the Good Samaritan. pic.twitter.com/i9Ls4EqIPw
— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) October 21, 2021
Bishop Patricia Davenport of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, urged her fellow faithful to go purple for Spirit Day.
Bishop Megan Rohrer, the first transgender bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, serving the Sierra Pacific Synod, also posted a video of suport.
Happy #SpiritDay from a Trans @ELCA Lutheran Bishop. Speaking out against bullying is the faithful thing to do! @glaad #TransIsBeautiful pic.twitter.com/7Ba4ekMKq7
— Bishop Megan Rohrer (@mmrohrer) October 21, 2021
The Ethical Societies in St. Louis and Westchester also got into the purple spirit.
71% of LGBTQ+ students report hearing homophobic
remarks from teachers and/or school staff because of their gender expression.Each year, millions go purple for #SpiritDay to support LGBTQ+ youth in a united stand against bullying. pic.twitter.com/Vz2P9k9m0O
— Ethical Society StL (@EthicalStL) October 21, 2021
86% of LGBTQ+ youth said that
recent politics have negatively impacted their well-being.Each year, millions go purple for #SpiritDay to support LGBTQ+ youth in a united stand against bullying. pic.twitter.com/0rh5caAjJQ
— Ethical Culture Society of Westchester (@EthicalSociety) October 21, 2021
Kevin Strickland is the openly gay bishop of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which encompasses Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. He posted a video through his office, sharing the message of #SpiritDay.
Jewish GLBT group Keshet shows their pride for #SpiritDay through stickers and posts.
Today is #spiritday. Stand against bullying and in support of #LGBTQ youth! Proudly show your support with Keshet’s printable signs and stickers. https://t.co/8kNJUPADUQ@glaad pic.twitter.com/2CE7kZAHLK
— Keshet (@KeshetGLBTJews) October 15, 2020
Reconciling Ministries Network, sent a message to all United Methodists to also go purple.
ReconcilingWorks, an advocacy group for LGBTQ+ Lutherans, goes purple on Instagram for #SpiritDay.
Metropolitan New York Synod shares their message on this year’s #SpiritDay theme, #WhenIFirstSawMyself.
LGBT Catholics share some data about bullying.
Queer spirituality group Believe Out Loud encourages folks to take GLAAD’s #SpiritDay pledge.
LGBT youth experience bullying at disproportionate rates. This #SpiritDay, Believe Out Loud is proud to join our partners at @GLAAD in standing up for the amazing young people in this community! Take the pledge at https://t.co/mqfPU5MPZd
— Believe Out Loud (@BelieveOutLoud) October 15, 2020
About Spirit Day
Each year, millions go purple for GLAAD’s Spirit Day to support LGBTQ youth in a united stand against bullying. Started in 2010 by high school student Brittany McMillan in response to numerous young LGBTQ lives lost to suicide, Spirit Day now draws the participation of celebrities, schools, faith institutions, national landmarks, corporations, media outlets, sports leagues, and advocates around the world, all joining together to stand against bullying and support LGBTQ youth.
Presenting sponsors Target, Visible, and Wells Fargo, official sponsors NYC Dept of Youth and Community Development, Sally Hansen, Porsche, SKITTLES, and community sponsors Amazon, Kellogg Company, Kirkland & Ellis, National Basketball Association & Women’s National Basketball Association, NFL, Nike, and Shutterfly will all participate in Spirit Day.
In 2021, Spirit Day takes on a renewed importance due to the unprecedented challenges facing LGBTQ youth. Over the last year and a half, many LGBTQ youth have not been in school, unable to attend in-person meetings of Gay-Straight Alliances, Gender-Sexuality Alliances or on-campus colleges LGBTQ organizations. During this time, LGBTQ youth have also become increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of cyberbullying, specifically with heightened levels of anti-LGBTQ hate and harassment on social media. Some LGBTQ youth may be confined to a home environment that may be unsupportive or abusive. As well, an unprecedented number of anti-LGBTQ bills in state legislatures specifically targeting trans and nonbinary youth have been in the news. Calls to The Trevor Project’s hotline for LGBTQ youth have at times more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
This year, Spirit Day is on October 21, 2021. Take the Spirit Day pledge to show LGBTQ youth you’ve got their backs at glaad.org/spiritday. Follow @GLAAD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to keep up to date with #SpiritDay news.