Today, a first-of-its-kind rally celebrating Spirit Day was held at Beethoven Elementary School in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where GLAAD Vice President of Programs Zeke Stokes was joined by representatives from Wells Fargo and Target to celebrate the school's anti-bullying efforts. The school was selected for the landmark event because it is a model for providing a safe and inclusive environment for all. The event gave Lose Angeles students, parents, staff, and faculty the opportunity to join millions by "going purple" and supporting LGBT youth, but it didn't stop there.
"We were so excited to join Principal Cara Fields and her amazing team at Beethoven Elementary, who are doing amazing things to celebrate diversity and promote love and acceptance for al people within the school community," said Stokes.
Spirit Day Presenting Partners Target and Wells Fargo were at the pep rally. Target presented the school with a $1,000 gift card, and Wells Fargo donated LGBT-inclusive books to be distributed throughout the district. The NBA, LA Clippers, and WNBA provided t-shirts and hats to the young students and Barilla also provided a giveaway.
About Spirit Day
On October 15, Spirit Day inspires millions to "go purple" to support LGBT youth in a united stand against bullying. According to GLSEN's 2013 National School Climate Survey, 8 out of 10 LGBT students experience harassment at school, and over 60% of LGBT students who did report a bullying case said their school staff did nothing. Spirit Day draws the participation of celebrities, corporations, media outlets, sports leagues, schools, faith institutions, national landmarks, and individuals around the world to take a stand against bullying and show their support for LGBT youth.
You can go purple now by putting on purple, posting about #spiritday, and sharing your favorite #spiritday posts on social media. Go to www.glaad.org/spiritday to turn your profile picture purple and learn more ways to get involved in Spirit Day.
Spirit Day is made possible by the generous support of its presenting Partners Wells Fargo and Target; official partners DOW, Google, NBA and WNBA, NFL and WWE; and supporting partners American Eagle Outfitters, Barilla, Chobani, Comcast NBC Universal, Kirkland and Ellis, and Toyota.
Past participants in Spirit Day include the White House, the Empire State Building, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Laverne Cox, Kim Kardashian, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Shaquille O'Neal, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The View, The Talk, The Tonight Show, the NBA, the NFL, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, WWE, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, the Las Vegas Strip, and more.
