Delta Air Lines is joining GLAAD to go purple for Spirit Day! This is the first year Delta has sponsored Spirit Day and they are going purple in a big way. Delta is encouraging its employees around the world to go purple in support of LGBTQ youth, taking a united stand against bullying. Join Delta’s team and Take the Pledge here.
In addition to sharing Spirit Day videos and reminders with its global team, Delta’s LGBTQ business resource group, EQUAL, is leading the way in educating and getting people excited about Spirit Day. EQUAL is taking to their internal social channels to raise awareness of how the LGBTQ community is disproportionally affected by bullying, especially amongst youth. They are also sharing various resources to support its LGBTQ employees, their families, friends and colleagues. Delta is committed to supporting LGBTQ youth on Spirit Day and beyond!
“Spirit Day is a necessary and critical time to shine a light on the resilience and power of LGBTQ youth,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “This year, partners like Delta Air Lines are ensuring that LGBTQ youth feel seen, loved, and supported, not only on Spirit Day, but around the year.”
Longtime partner of GLAAD and our youth engagement program, Delta has been a supporter of GLAAD’s Rising Stars program, helping elevate voices of LGBTQ youth.
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 partners Delta Air Lines, Kellogg Company, and Target, official partners Amazon, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and the New York City Council, and Skittles, as well as community partners Kirkland & Ellis, NBA & WNBA will all participate in 2020 Spirit Day.
In 2020, Spirit Day takes on a renewed importance due to the unprecedented challenges facing LGBTQ youth. This year, many LGBTQ youth are beginning the school year at home and are unable to attend in-person meetings of Gay-Straight Alliances, Gender-Sexuality Alliances or on-campus college LGBTQ organizations. Some LGBTQ youth may be confined to a home environment that may be unsupportive or abusive. 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 15, 2020. Take the Spirit Day pledge to show LGBTQ youth you’ve got their backs at glaad.org/spiritday. Follow @GLAAD on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up to date with #SpiritDay news.