VIDEO: Vito Cammisano and Michael Sam go purple for #SpiritDay

Gay YouTuber Vito Cammisano joined millions for Spirit Day by taking a stand against bullying toward LGBT youth and showing his support through his YouTube channel. 

Throughout September and October, Cammisano consulted with GLAAD and published four Spirit Day-themed videos, ultimately culminating in a moving video with Michael Sam, the first out athlete to be drafted by the NFL. In this video, released on Spirit Day, they explain how they were bullied. 

"As someone who was once bullied, I think it is very important that we tackle this issue," said Sam. 

The pair, decked out in purple Spirit Day shirts that read "Everybody's different...DEAL WITH IT," end the video by urging viewers to wear purple to show their support for LGBT youth. Check out the video here:

The previous week, Cammisano went to his alma mater, the University of Missouri, to ask student athletes why they support LGBT youth:

At the end of September, Cammisano asked LGBT people about the importance of allies to encourage viewers to be better allies toward LGBT youth:

Cammisano's entire Spirit Day video campaign began with his charming announcement in September:

On Spirit Day, Vito showed his support throughout the entire day, encouraging followers to watch his Spirit Day video with Michael Sam, sharing his video with websites, and changing all of his profile pictures to purple:

 

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.

Check out glaad.org/spiritday for more about how to stand against anti-LGBT bullying and follow @GLAAD on Twitter to keep up to date with #spiritday news!​

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.

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