This year, community sponsors Amazon, Kellogg, Kirkland & Ellis, National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association, Nike Inc., NFL, and Shutterfly took a stand against bullying and in support of LGBTQ youth for Spirit Day.
AMAZON
For the third year in a row, Amazon is a proud sponsor of Spirit Day. Last night, Amazon’s iconic Seattle Spheres and HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia went purple for Spirit Day, becoming a beacon of support for LGBTQ+ youth everywhere. The company also showed support by asking Amazonians to wear purple or go purple on social media.
KELLOGG
On Spirit Day and every day, Kellogg employees stand up against bullying and show our support for LGBTQ+ youth.
KIRKLAND & ELLIS
Kirkland & Ellis with the Kirkland Pride Affinity Group and Diversity & Inclusion Committee observed Spirit Day with an all day celebration and virtual event. The firm asked everyone to submit photos of themselves, their families/friends and their pets “going purple”. The virtual event will feature Investment Funds partner Charles Tanenbaum, who will interview DEI thought leader and LGBTQ+ inclusion advocate Lanaya Irvin, CEO of Coqual.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION & WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
The NBA and WNBA family is happy to partner with GLAAD for Spirit Day by taking a stand against bullying and showing support for LGBTQ+ youth. The league will show its commitment to Spirit Day through social media posts, internal communications to employees around Pride ERT’s work and encouraging fans to take the Spirit Day Pledge.
NIKE, Inc.
Nike is a proud community partner of GLAAD and joined millions in going purple for Spirit Day to support LGBTQIA+ youth in a united stand against bullying.
NFL
The NFL is proud to demonstrate our support for LGBTQ+ people and take a strong stance against bullying. NFL employees joined millions of people nationwide in championing this day and the LGBTQ+ community by wearing purple in the office and on-air.
SHUTTERFLY
Shutterfly partnered with GLAAD to support LGBTQIA+ youth in a united stand against bullying by hosting an IG live with Stella Keating, the first transgender teen to testify before Congress. Watch the interview below:
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 Department of Youth and Community Development, Porsche Cars North America Inc., Sally Hansen, and Mars Wrigley’s 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.