#SpiritDay Trends Across Social Media, Bringing Unprecedented Support for LGBTQ Youth

Celine Dion, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Britney Spears, Queen Latifah, Laverne Cox, Hailee Steinfeld, George Takei, Tim McGraw, and 30 Major League Baseball teams all go purple for Spirit Day

Senators Tammy Baldwin, Dianne Feinstein, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren, Representative Joe Kennedy III, and more elected officials participate in Spirit Day

Times Square properties as well as the Wells Fargo Duke Energy Center go purple in support of LGBTQ youth; HBO, MTV, CNBC, TODAY Show among shows and networks who went purple

New York, NY – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today highlighted the massive participation on Spirit Day 2017 by celebrities, athletes, elected officials, brands, landmarks, schools, and organizations. Spirit Day is the largest and most visible anti-bullying campaign in the world accelerating acceptance of LGBTQ youth. Each year, GLAAD organizes hundreds of celebrities, media outlets, brands, landmarks, sports leagues, tech leaders, influencers, faith groups, school districts, organizations, colleges and universities in what has become the largest unified show of support for LGBTQ youth. For more information visit /spiritday

Celine Dion shared a powerful performance of “Purple Rain” in honor of Spirit Day. View here: https://www.facebook.com/celinedion/videos/10154944022201651/

Kellogg Company launched a video featuring its beloved characters Tony the Tiger, Julius Pringles (“Mr. P”), Ernie Keebler, Toucan Sam, Snap, Crackle & Pop, and Cornelius (“Corny”) the Kellogg’s Corn Flakes mascot. Each character plays a role in ‘speaking out’ against bullying in support of Spirit Day. Many of Kellogg’s social media channels will also support Spirit Day, turning their handles purple for the day to stand up to bullying.

View the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB2mPafJnZw

GLAAD National Board of Directors member and songwriter Justin Tranter also kicked off Spirit Day with a private concert to celebrate LGBTQ youth in Los Angeles featuring Courtney Love, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Lambert, JoJo, Troye Sivan, Parson James, Carly Rae Jepsen, Tinashe, August Getty, Gigi Gorgeous, Sofia Carson, and Chris Colfer.

GLAAD also released a video of LGBTQ advocate Dylan Marron speaking with two young LGBTQ people about how bullying has impacted them as students and what advice they would give to their younger selves. This video was filmed at Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, founded to create safer spaces and a bully-free zone for LGBTQ youth.

Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngUp2uDzp8Q&feature=youtu.be

Major League Baseball and MLB teams all went purple to celebrate Spirit Day. Twitter also designed a custom #SpiritDay emoji in partnership with MLB.

NBC Universal came together once again to show its spirit for LGBTQ youth. Ted Danson and Kristen Bell from ‘The Good Place,’ the TODAY Show, MSNBC, CNBC, ‘Access Hollywood,’ ‘Law & Order: SVU,’ ‘This is Us’ stars Sterling K. Brown and Chrissy Metz, ‘Watch What Happens Live’ host Andy Cohen, Auli’I Cravalho, Damon Gillespie, and Grace Aki from the upcoming ‘Rise,’ ‘Superstore’ stars Ben Feldman and Nico Santos, Torrey DeVitto from ‘Chicago Med,’ and NBC OUT, all went purple for Spirit Day along with ‘Will & Grace’ stars Debra Messing and Megan Mullally, who shared a message of support for Spirit Day.

Check out the video here: https://twitter.com/WillAndGrace/status/920649422211608576

Freeform stars shared in the stand for LGBTQ youth as well with the cast of ‘Shadowhunters,’ Aisha Dee and Megann Fahy from ‘The Bold Type,’ the cast of ‘Beyond,’ the cast of ‘Cloak and Dagger,’ Georgie Flores from ‘ Famous In Love,’ the cast of ‘Grownish,’ the cast of ‘Siren,’ and Esther Povitsky from ‘Alone Together.’

ABC/Disney shows and talent also went purple for Spirit Day. The cast of ‘Fresh Off The Boat,’ Kerry Washington, Bellamy Young, and Katie Lowes from ‘Scandal,’ Minnie Driver from ‘Speechless,’ Tracee Ellis Ross from ‘ Black-ish,’ Jessica Capshaw from ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ the cast of ‘Walk the Prank,’ Lana Parilla from ‘Once Upon A Time,’ Jason Ritter from ‘Kevin (Probably) Saves the World,’ Conrad Ricamora from ‘How to Get Away With Murder,’ and hosts from Entertainment Tonight all took part.

YouTube star Gigi Gorgeous took over GLAAD’s Instagram account (@glaad) to promote Spirit Day and talk about its importance.

Spirit Day is made possible by the generous support of its presenting partners Target, and Wells Fargo, as well official partners Johnson & Johnson, Liberty Mutual Insurance, NBA/WNBA, and Toyota Financial Services; supporting partners Barilla, Kellogg’s, Kirkland & Ellis, and NFL.

GLAAD counted more celebrities, landmarks, athletes, brands, media outlets, elected officials and overall participants than ever before. Below is list of highlights:

Celebrities and entertainers:

Celine Dion, Nicole Kidman, Ellen DeGeneres, Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Sia, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, the ‘Will & Grace’ cast, Queen Latifah, Faith Hill, Kesha, Tim McGraw, Jimmy Kimmel, Jewel, Marcia Gay Harden, Laverne Cox, Billy Eichner, Ava Duvernay, Salma Hayek, Hailee Steinfeld, Allison Janey, Sterling K. Brown, Carly Rae Jepsen, Elizabeth Banks, Harry Shum Jr., George Takei, Halsey, Patricia Arquette, Lucy Lawless, Felicity Huffman, Raymond Braun, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Clayton, Matt Bomer, Tig Notaro,Trace Lysette, Daniel Franzese, Sean Hayes, Monica, Olivia Newton-John, Tatiana Maslany, Tegan & Sara, Kelly Ripa, Jake Shears, Angelica Ross, Andy Cohen, Megan Mullally, Chrissy Metz, Tracee Ellis Ross, Connie Britton, Christina Milian, Minnie Driver, Natalie Morales, Carmen Electra, Conrad Ricamora, Cameron Esposito, Hannah Hart, Isis King, Tommy Dorfman, Paula Abdul, Wilson Cruz, Amy Acker, Lisa Vanderpump, Leenne Locken, Erika Jayne, Steve Howey, Francesca Ramsey, Carrie Preston, Michelle Trachtenburg, Cody Alan, Ryan Seacrest, Jason Ritter, Anna Chlumsky, Hank Azaria, Lisa Rinna, Dorinda Medley, Sara Ramirez, Ted Danson, Kristen Bell, Chris Colfer, Margaret Cho, Darren Young, Elvis Duran, Rebecca Black, Chris Mosier, Kate Walsh, and many more

Elected officials:

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Maria Cantwell, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. David Cicilline, Rep. Katherine Clark, Rep. Diana DeGette, Rep. Suzan DelBene, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, Rep. Raul Grijalva, Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rep. Denny Heck, Rep. Steny Hoyer, Rep. Joe Kennedy III, Rep. Dan Kildee, Rep. Ted Lieu, Rep. Ed Perlmutter, Rep. Mike Quigley, Rep. Jacky Rosen, Rep. Linda T. Sanchez, Rep. Adam Smith, and more.

Sports teams, leagues, and clubs:

Major League Baseball, NBA, NBA Cares, WNBA, WWE, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburg Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals, and more.

Landmarks:

Thomson Reuters, NASDAQ, Viacom, MTV Times Square, Wells Fargo Duke Energy Center, LaGuardia Airport, and more

Media:

HBO, MTV, TODAY Show, TRL, CNBC, The Talk, The Chew, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Good Morning America, Game of Thrones, CNN, MSNBC, Live with Kelly and Ryan, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Extra, 21^st Century Fox, Logo, The Public Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Penguin Randomhouse, Wendy Williams Show, iHeart Media, NBC OUT, Un Nuevo Dia, The View, Billboard, Focus Features, Fun Home, Showtime, Warner Bros Entertainment, SAG AFTRA Foundation, VH1, Radio Disney, National Geographic, Hello Giggles, Teen Vogue, Access Hollywood, Despierta America, and more.

Businesses:

Gap, Kellogg’s Brands, Kirkland & Ellis, Marvel Entertainment, Toyota Financial Services, Wells Fargo, and more.

Faith partners:

Believe Out, Keshet, Religious Institute, Reconciling Ministries, and more.

Organizations:

All Out, All Out Knoxville, Athlete Ally, Consulate of Mexico, Equality Florida, Equality for HER, Equality North Carolina, Equality Texas, Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte, Gay Post Italy, Georgia Equality, Lambda Legal, Mpowerment Project, NARAL, Point Foundation, Tennessee Equality Project, and more.

Schools & GSAs:

One Colorado, Ithaca Center for LGBT Education, Outreach, and Services, University of Richmond Common Ground, and more.

Some sample celebrity posts below:

Celine Dion: https://www.facebook.com/celinedion/videos/10154944022201651/

Ellen DeGeneres: https://twitter.com/theellenshow/status/921052959949037569

Kerry Washington: https://twitter.com/kerrywashington/status/921075171280277507

Sia: https://twitter.com/Sia/status/921027464356401152

Debra Messing: https://www.instagram.com/therealdebramessing/?hl=en

Queen Latifah: https://twitter.com/IAMQUEENLATIFAH/status/921081119633825797

Faith Hill: https://twitter.com/FaithHill/status/921076969135050753

Tim McGraw: https://twitter.com/TheTimMcGraw/status/921070362321932289

Marcia Gay Harden: https://twitter.com/MGH_8/status/920997990629654528

Laverne Cox: https://twitter.com/Lavernecox/status/921034311318589440

Hailee Steinfeld: https://twitter.com/HaileeSteinfeld/status/921051425542635526

Allison Janey: https://twitter.com/AllisonBJanney/status/921062224097144832

Carly Rae Jepsen: https://www.instagram.com/p/BacQG9PDPjA/

Harry Shum Jr.: https://twitter.com/ShadowhuntersTV/status/921086414527303682

George Takei: https://twitter.com/GeorgeTakei/status/921066093753577472

Olivia Newton-John: https://twitter.com/olivianj/status/921073439959420928

Tatiana Maslany: https://twitter.com/tatianamaslany/status/921043294636912645

Tegan & Sara: https://twitter.com/teganandsara/status/921041684124680192

Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bab3wZVji5j/?tagged=spiritday