Household name, the OG doll, and now queen of allyship Barbie took time out of her busy schedule to sit down with GLAAD’s President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis for Spirit Day! In celebration of the world’s largest LGBTQ anti-bullying campaign, Barbie and Sarah Kate spoke about what it means to be an ally, and why it’s important to show your support for the LGBTQ community year round.
“Stand up and speak out for the LGBTQ community. Whether that be in the boardroom or the dinner table, using your voice means true allyship,” says Sarah Kate.
Watch the full interview here:
@barbie Proud to be allies, now and year-round. In time for #SpiritDay, the world’s largest LGBTQ anti-bullying campaign, we met Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of @glaad, to chat all things advocacy. We talk about why representation is important, what #Barbie ♬ original sound – barbie
Also, check out these fab images of Barbie and her crew donning fly purple outfits for Spirit Day last year!
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About #SpiritDay
Each year, GLAAD organizes celebrities, media outlets, brands, landmarks, sports leagues, faith groups, school districts, organizations, colleges and universities in what has become the most visible anti-LGBTQ bullying campaign in the world. Purple also symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag.
The annual tradition was started in 2010 by GLAAD and then high school student Brittany McMillan, in memory of the LGBTQ youth who died by suicide. McMillan encouraged her friends to wear purple on a day in October — a day that came to be known as Spirit Day.
Today, LGBTQ youth, and especially trans and nonbinary youth, are experiencing a level of scrutiny in schools we have never seen, leading to an environment rife with stressors beyond the peer-to-peer bullying of the past. From book bans, to bans on trans youth in sports, to bathroom restrictions and teachers barred from using correct pronouns, the means by which a student can express themselves and see others like them are increasingly being challenged.
GLAAD’s 2023 Social Media Safety Index found severe harassment for LGBTQ users when compared to 2022 and found that all five major social media platforms continue to fail on LGBTQ safety. This anti-LGBTQ rhetoric then translates to real-life harm and has been cited as drivers of many of the more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in states around the country this year alone, many of which target our LGBTQ youth.
For more information on Spirit Day, visit glaad.org/spiritday and follow @GLAAD on social media to keep up to date with #SpiritDay news.