DOZENS OF CELEBS TO TAKE STAND AGAINST BULLYING ON SPIRIT DAY

 

Dozens more celebrities have signed on to participate in Spirit Day, GLAAD’s annual campaign against anti-LGBTQ+ bullying, to be held Thursday.

GLAAD today announced additional individual and corporate participants including TikTok, Jonathan Bennett, Ednita, Kany García, Jack Galinsky, Ty Herndon, Natalia Jiménez, Lali, Bright Light Bright Light, LeeAnne Locken, Countess LuAnn, the NFL, Thalia, Gloria Trevi, Jaymes Vaughan, Kameron Westcott, and the cast of Lifetime’s The Christmas Setup.

Other Latinx stars who are confirmed to participate include Macarena Achaga, Regina Blandón, Coty Camacho, Roberto Carlo, Paulina Davila, Ana de la Reguera, Andrés Durán, Litzy, Bárbara López, Coco Maxima, Horacio Pancheri, Maite Perroni, Ana Rizo, and Dario Yazbek Bernal.

The CW has also confirmed participation from several of its stars, including Batwoman’s Javicia Leslie, Riverdale’s Mädchen Amick, Stargirl’s Meg DeLacy and Hunter Sansone, Legacies’ Danielle Rose Russell and Ben Levin, Dynasty’s Elaine Hendrix and Daniella Alonso, The Outpost’s Jake Stormoen, Reece Ritchie, and Adam Johnson, Legends’ Adam Tsekhman, and the cast of Batwoman.

On Spirit Day, millions of people around the world will wear purple or go purple online in a unified stand against bullying and to show support for LGBTQ+ youth. Purple symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag. Each year, Spirit Day draws the participation of celebrities, corporations, media outlets, sports leagues, schools, faith institutions, national landmarks, and individuals. Coinciding with National Bullying Prevention Month, Spirit Day began in 2010 when Brittany McMillan, then a high school student, created a Tumblr post asking students to wear purple after the deaths by suicide of several young people who were LGBTQ+ or perceived as such.

“From the effects of COVID-19, to the social uprising against racial injustice and police brutality, to the Trump administration’s consistent attacks on LGBTQ people, this year has presented unprecedented challenges and crises, all of which continue to uniquely and disproportionately impact LGBTQ youth,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a press release. “At a time when LGBTQ youth may be isolating in homes that are not affirming or do not have access to their usual support systems, this year’s Spirit Day is a chance for LGBTQ people and allies to send messages of acceptance and support to LGBTQ youth when they need it most.”

According to GLSEN's most recent National School Climate Survey, 70 percent of LGBTQ students report being verbally harassed. Additionally, 59.5 percent of LGBTQ students feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and 44.6 percent because of their gender expression. GLSEN also reported that 87.3 percent of LGBTQ students experienced harassment or assault based on personal characteristics, including sexual orientation, gender expression, gender, religion, actual or perceived race and ethnicity, and actual or perceived disability. The Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that one in three LGBTQ youth reported that they had been physically threatened or harmed in their lifetime due to their identity.

GLAAD previously announced a preliminary list of celebrities set to participate in Spirit Day, the world’s largest and most visible campaign against anti-LGBTQ+ bullying. They include Cher, the Chicks, Halle Berry, Amy Allen, Elizabeth Berkley, Connie Britton, Megan Boone, Sterling K. Brown, Jiggly Caliente, Jackie Cox, Miz Cracker, Kat Cunning, Ted Danson, Daughtry, Ariana DeBose, Nicky Doll, Lisa Edelstein, Brita Filter, Gigi Gorgeous Getty, Carlie Hanson, Megan Hilty, Juan Pablo Jaramillo, Jazz Jennings, Ken Jeong, JoJo, Jujubee, Padma Lakshmi, Jason Lewis, Maggie Lindemann, Nicole Maines, MAX, Ava Max, Shane McAnally, Bethany C. Meyers, Ben O’Keefe, Peppermint, Calle y Poché, Michael Ray, LeAnn Rimes, Adam Rippon, AnnaSophia Robb, Frankie Rodriguez, Vincent Rodriguez III, Tegan & Sara, Scott Turner Schofield, Mario Selman, D.J. “Shangela” Pierce, Johnny Sibilly, Dahlia Sin, SOKO, Speelburg, Brandon Stansell, Patrick Starrr, Mary Steenburgen, Nico Tortorella, Trinity the Tuck, and Nina West.

This week, GLAAD launched a photo campaign calling on LGBTQ people to share their #SpiritDay stories to encourage allyship for LGBTQ youth. Participants are encouraged to post photos to answer the question “Who empowered you to accept and celebrate yourself as LGBTQ?” and tell what their allyship meant to them in a caption using the hashtag #SpiritDay on social media platforms through Thursday and tag @GLAAD.

In addition to the social media campaign, Spirit Day this year will include public service announcements on Disney/ABC and iHeart Radio, a selection of LGBTQ-inclusive programming on Hulu, a light-up installation in New York City’s Hudson Yards by WarnerMedia, Spirit Day soundtracks on Spotify, and much more. GLAAD has released an LGBTQ-inclusive children’s book, Spirit Day: A Book About Spreading Joy.

AT&T’s headquarters in Dallas, the Spheres at Amazon’s Seattle campus, the ViacomCBS Building in New York, the CBS Broadcast Center, the M&M’s Times Square Jumbotron, and the Reuters, NASDAQ, and American Eagle billboards in Times Square will all go purple. Skittles and Mars Inc. are also working with GLAAD to provide Spirit Day messaging on the Times Square Jumbotron.

Delta Air Lines, Kellogg Company, and Target are presenting partners for Spirit Day, while Amazon, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, the New York City Council, and Skittles are official partners. Kirkland & Ellis, the NBA, and the WNBA are community partners.

SOURCE: ADVOCATE