This year, dozens of nonprofit organizations – from local grassroots organizations to grant giving foundations to international conglomerates – took to social media to show their support for #SpiritDay and LGBTQ youth. See posts from The Trevor Project, PFLAG, UN Free & Equal, and other orgs sending messages of love, support, and solidarity to LGBTQ youth below:
The Trevor Project
It’s #SpiritDay! Go purple now to take a stand against bullying and to support LGBTQ youth. https://t.co/3BhUKOuQul pic.twitter.com/bWQxGq1T3T
— The Trevor Project (@TrevorProject) October 21, 2021
Human Rights Campaign
In honor of #BullyingPreventionMonth, we’re proud to join @glaad and wear purple to mark #SpiritDay. Our LGBTQ+ youth deserve better, and we must commit to creating welcoming and affirming environments for them. pic.twitter.com/FaQcpeNCex
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) October 21, 2021
PFLAG
It’s Thursday, besties And more, it’s #SpiritDay and we’re proudly standing up against bullying and showing support for #LGBTQ+ youth, today and every day.
Join us and countless others in going purple: https://t.co/9oWb4m5oUp#PFLAGProud pic.twitter.com/Jh7JUWIYZR
— PFLAG National (@PFLAG) October 21, 2021
National Black Justice Coalition
SPIRIT DAY is the most prominent and most visible LGBTQ+ anti-bullying campaign in the world.
It is a day when millions of people wear purple to show their support for LGBTQ+/SGL youth and unite against bullying.
Use our Spirit Day toolkit w/ https://t.co/j74f3TvA9T pic.twitter.com/iXuw8bEkaZ
— NBJC (@NBJContheMove) October 21, 2021
UN Free & Equal
No child should fear going to school! Classrooms should be places where ALL young people can be their best selves, regardless of who they are or whom they love! #SpiritDay #GoPurple pic.twitter.com/PHiyT2UzDw
— UN Free & Equal (@free_equal) October 21, 2021
Anti-Violence Project
On #SpiritDay and every day, AVP stands against bullying and shows support for LGBTQ youth. Go purple now and join in over at @glaad! pic.twitter.com/YCVwxqILXN
— AVP (@antiviolence) October 21, 2021
National Center for Lesbian Rights
Today is #SpiritDay and #NCLR is joining the countless businesses, organizations, and individuals who are wearing purple today to stand up to bullying and support #LGBTQ youth!
You can find out more about @glaad‘s Spirit Day online at https://t.co/Lv7zfPIhnv pic.twitter.com/isgcp6VCeV
— NCLR – National Center for Lesbian Rights (@NCLRights) October 21, 2021
It Gets Better Project
It’s time to go purple for @GLAAD‘s #SpiritDay!
(Lucky for us, we always have that covered).
Learn how you can stand up for LGBTQ+ youth and against bullying, download free resource guides, and grab social media graphics to share at https://t.co/0VGUWhIsGz pic.twitter.com/vB7cZ95oJL
— It Gets Better (@ItGetsBetter) October 21, 2021
Other nonprofits that participated in Spirit Day on social media include, but are not limited to: Athlete Ally, Lambda Legal, Movement Advancement Project, NYC Pride, Born This Way Foundation, The Center, AIDS United, Trans Youth Equality Foundation, Arcus Foundation, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Outfest, Trans Lifeline, Immigration Equality, Mazzoni Center, and more.
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.