GLAAD and OPEN Finance today announced financial industry support for Spirit Day, with many landmarks, media and companies spreading the message of support for LGBT youth.
Last night the New York Stock Exchange kicked Spirit Day off by lighting its facade purple. Today, the NASDAQ marquee and Thomson Reuters Times Square billboards will be lit in purple for Spirit Day. For the fourth year in a row, hosts of CNBC will be wearing purple on-air, joining news anchors from MSNBC and hosts of TV shows including TODAY, The View and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Corporations and brands including BNP Paribas, PwC, Wells Fargo will be encouraging employees to wear purple or participate on social media. These financial services companies join brands including Delta Air Lines, Facebook, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, among others.
GLAAD partner OPEN Finance (Out Professional Exchange Network for Finance), formerly known as the Interbank Roundtable Committee, will also be participating in Spirit Day. OPEN Finance brings together LGBT leaders from major financial services organizations in the New York City area. The voluntary network uses the combined expertise of its member firms’ employee resource groups to advance workplace policies across the industry, to collaborate on events, community service and philanthropy, and to provide a networking forum for LGBT finance professionals. The ‘network of networks’ currently has 32 member firms.
"For several years, OPEN Finance has been a valuable partner for GLAAD in our work to advance equality in the workplace," said GLAAD Acting President Dave Montez. "With OPEN Finance's help, on Spirit Day financial services leaders will be sending a clear message to their employees and the industry that supporting LGBT people is integral to good business and corporate social responsibility."
"OPEN Finance is thrilled to continue supporting GLAAD's culture-changing work," said Mike Sullivan, co-chair of OPEN Finance. “Through many of our member firms' Spirit Day activities, OPEN Finance is demonstrating that financial services is an industry of choice for LGBT professionals."
If your company is interested in participating in Spirit Day check out the Spirit Day corporate partner page now!
Are you wearing your Spirit Day purple?
Going purple is easy:
- Wear something purple today - whether it's a purple scarf, purple tie, or an entirely purple outfit, you'll be taking a stand
against bullying! - Head over to www.glaad.org/spiritday to turn your Facebook and Twitter profile pics purple right now to show LGBT youth you support them.
- Share your photos with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Google+ with the hashtag #SpiritDay - some may even be featured on theSpirit Day website.
With your help, young people everywhere will be able to walk into school or turn on TV and see a sea of purple. They'll see that the world has their back, and that it's okay to be who you are.
