Every year on October 20th, millions wear purple to support LGBTQ youth and stand against bullying for Spirit Day. And what a sight this year! We’ve been thrilled to see Latinx and Spanish-speaking celebrities, performers, artists, organizations, TV hosts and influencers standing with us in 2022. Check out some of them below:
Pedro Julio Serrano, Puerto Rican human rights activist and LGBTQ advocate
En #SpiritDay —de violeta— y siempre apoyo a los jóvenes LGBTTIQ+ que merecen vivir en paz, equidad y libertad… pic.twitter.com/JTkFbbyLci
— Pedro Julio Serrano (@PedroJulio) October 20, 2022
Ana Maria Polo, host of Caso Cerrado
Como cada año el 20 de octubre en #SpiritDay subo una foto mía vistiendo morado en rechazo al bullying y apoyo hacia jóvenes LGBTQ.
Hoy cambia tus redes a morado si estás en contra del acoso!!#HeDicho #CasoCerrado #AnaMariaPolo @glaad pic.twitter.com/6dbNJdWlOr— Ana Maria Polo (@AnaPoloTV) October 20, 2022
Juliana Joel, actor from Raven’s Home and the upcoming film Total Dominion
Alex Orué, podcaster and global coordinator for It Gets Better Español
Hoy es #SpiritDay, efeméride impulsada por @glaad que nos invita a un gesto de solidaridad —vistiendo de morado— con jóvenes LGBTQ+ de nuestros círculos y que quizás aún no sean visibles o estén viviendo bullying, para recordarles que tienen aliades y en no estén soles. pic.twitter.com/Bex1fGJhnY
— Alex Orué (@Alex_Orue) October 20, 2022
Homosensual, the most widely read LGBTQ digital publication in Mexico and Latin America
¡Uno como quiera pero y las criaturas! #SpiritDay contra el acoso hacia jóvenes LGBT+. https://t.co/5MkxgAG9c0
— Homosensual (@SoyHomosensual) October 20, 2022
The Gay Chorus of Lima Peru
El #spiritday se inició en 2010 en respuesta a una serie de suicidios, de estudiantes homosexuales por el #bullying. GLAAD, cada tercer jueves del mes de octubre invita a vestir de color púrpura como una señal visible de apoyo a los jóvenes LGBTQ+ que sufren de acoso. pic.twitter.com/IylIjssiho
— Coro Gay de Lima (@corogaydelima) October 20, 2022
Fundación Sergio Urrego, a non-profit combatting suicide and discrimination in Colombia
¿Sabes por qué se celebra el #spiritday? Es el día donde todxs muestran apoyo a los jóvenes LGBTQ+ y así poder tomar una posición contra el acoso. #YoTambienFuiSergio #OrgulloDeSer #LGBTQ #InstaGay #Gay #InstaLesbian pic.twitter.com/uXgbfVx01F
— Fundación Sergio Urrego (@sergiourregoorg) October 20, 2022
Marea Diversa, a community group in Mexico City
Hoy es el dia #SpiritDay o DíaDelEspíritu.
Desde @DiversidadCDMX te invitamos a vestir con una prenda morada y sumarte a la lucha contra el #bullying y #discriminación hacia adolescentes y jóvenes LGBTTTI+ …1/2 pic.twitter.com/5UBQ5S6sJv— MareaDiversaCDMX (@MareaDiversaMx) October 20, 2022
The hosts of En Casa con Telemundo
Stellantis U.S., tweeting from their official Spanish-language account
Hoy, el emblema #Pentastar que adorna la parte superior de las oficianas de #StellantisNA en Auburn Hills, Michigan, brilla en color púrpura con motivo del #LGBTQ+ #SpiritDay, un día para concienciar sobre el problema del “bullying” que afecta a la comunidad de jóvenes LGBTQ+. pic.twitter.com/rpqMNTdTPc
— Stellantis US en Español (@StellantisNAEsp) October 20, 2022
Major League Baseball, tweeting from their official Spanish-language account
En este #SpiritDay y todos los días, nos enorgullece pronunciarnos contra el hostigamiento hacia los jóvenes y apoyar a la juventud LGBTQ. pic.twitter.com/oeihLell6b
— LasMayores (@LasMayores) October 20, 2022
Boston Red Sox, tweeting from their official Spanish-language account
Hoy vestimos de morado en honor de #SpiritDay. Estamos orgullosos de demostrar nuestro apoyo para los jóvenes LGBTQIA+ y unirnos a la batalla contra del bullying. pic.twitter.com/yyJeMHoeCs
— Red Sox de Boston (@RedSoxBeisbol) October 20, 2022
About #SpiritDay
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 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.
GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey, released earlier this week, reported nearly 82% of LGBTQ students feel unsafe in school. 76% experienced in-person verbal harassment (e.g., called names or threatened) and 31% were physically harassed. Earlier this year, The Trevor Project reported 85% of transgender and nonbinary youth say that recent debates around anti-trans bills have negatively impacted their mental health.
GLAAD’s 2022 Social Media Safety Index found severe harassment for LGBTQ users when compared to 2021. This anti-LGBTQ rhetoric translates to real-life harm and has been cited as drivers of many of the over 300 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in states around the country this year alone, many of which target LGBTQ young people.
Take the Spirit Day pledge to show LGBTQ youth you’ve got their backs at glaad.org/spiritday.
For more information on Spirit Day, visit glaad.org/spiritday and follow @GLAAD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to keep up to date with #SpiritDay news.
About GLAAD
GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.