Randee St. NicholasIf your social media feeds today look like a jar of grape jelly, it’s not a coincidence: many big music stars are teaming up with GLAAD to “go purple” for Spirit Day 2017, to show they’re taking a stand in support of LGBTQ youth and against bullying.
Halsey, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Fergie, Luis Fonsi and Christina Aguilera are just a few of the stars who are going purple in honor of the occasion, with more to be announced today.
Others participating celebrities include Jimmy Kimmel, Whoopi Goldberg, Wanda Sykes, Mario Lopez, Lily Tomlin, Mayim Bialik, Jordan Fisher, Russell Tovey, Brad Goreski, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Kyle McLachlan, and the hosts of The Chew, MTV’s TRL, The View, Entertainment Tonight, Extra and Access Hollywood.
Spirit Day is necessary because, according to GLAAD, over 85% of LGBTQ students report being verbally harassed. Close to 60% say they feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation, and nearly 65% say they’ve heard homophobic remarks from teachers and school staff.
Nearly 65% say that when they reported these incidents, school staff either told them to ignore it, or did nothing in response. Close to 60% never reported bullying incidents because they doubted it would do any good.
To take the pledge to “go purple,” visit GLAAD.org.
