
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and a number of its Superstars went purple again this year for Spirit Day in a big way. The effort was led by the first WWE Superstar Darren Young. Young, who came out in August and was one of the 2013 Spirit Day Ambassadors. Young got the message of anti-bullying out in a variety of ways, sending tweets and making videos. Before Spirit Day even started, Young created this video and tweeted it out, calling on everyone to go purple for Spirit Day.
Its time for a change so take a stand against bullying by supporting @glaad #SpiritDay OCT 17th @WWE http://t.co/3U1WoLrNlC
— nodaysoff DYoung (@DarrenYoungWWE) October 14, 2013
When some1 overcomes personal hardships like myself, it should be celebrated! @beastaralliance @wwe @glaad #SpiritDay Go purple tomorrow!
— nodaysoff DYoung (@DarrenYoungWWE) October 16, 2013
Join me in celebrating @glaad #SpiritDay THIS Thursday. Wear purple or go purple online & take a stand against bullying. @WWE #KNOWYOURWORTH
— nodaysoff DYoung (@DarrenYoungWWE) October 15, 2013
Then on the day of Spirit day, October 17, Young created a second video, and tweeted it out. The WWE also shared the video with it's three million twitter followers.
Join @DarrenYoungWWE in taking a stand against bullying by wearing purple for Spirit Day today: http://t.co/2JOQ44RrLq
— WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2013
And followed up by the WWE NXT's call for purple on Spirit Day
Take the pledge to stop bullying and Be A Star! For more follow @beaSTARalliance #SpiritDay
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) October 17, 2013
Young was joined by his fellow Superstar Corey Graves and WWE ringside physician Michael J Sampson.
#GoPurple #SpiritDay @beaSTARalliance
— Corey Graves (@WWEGraves) October 17, 2013
Stop bullying. Be a STAR Show Tolerance And Respect #drsorders #SpiritDay @beaSTARalliance @StandUpFdn @glaad #YouCanPlay
— Michael J Sampson (@WWEDocSampson) October 17, 2013
The Be a STAR Alliance got into the act. Be a STAR was created by the Creative Coalition and WWE to ensure a positive and equitable social environment for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation through grassroots efforts beginning with education and awareness. They tweeted and retweeted messages of encouragement for LGBT youth for Spirit Day.
Yesterday was @GLAAD's #SpiritDay! How you celebrate? Tweet us pictures! #BeaSTAR
— be a STAR (@beaSTARalliance) October 18, 2013
On October 17, 2013, celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Ashton Kutcher, Betty White, Demi Lovato, Jimmy Kimmel, Nick Cannon, Kristen Bell, Macklemore, Melissa Etheridge, WWE Superstar Darren Young and more went purple for the fourth annual Spirit Day. Eric McCormack & Debra Messing also wore purple ribbons during a Will & Grace reunion – as did TLC's Stacy London - on TODAY. Hosts of shows including Access Hollywood, Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, Extra, Good Morning America and the Wendy Williams Show also wore purple and spoke about Spirit Day on-air. The White House sent out messages of support on Twitter and tumblr. Sports leagues including Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the NBA, the NFL, the NHL and the WNBA participated on social media. And companies like American Eagle Outfitters, NBCUniversal, MTV, The Coca-Cola Company and Johnson & Johnson took a stand, along with hundreds of landmarks, schools, faith groups, media outlets, companies, and organizations. Facebook and Twitter users turned their profile photos purple and posted photos of classmates and coworkers wearing purple, and their messages of support for LGBT youth made #SpiritDay trend on Twitter.
Founded in 2010, Spirit Day is an international, united stand against bullying and show of support for LGBT teens and young adults everywhere. As we look back on Spirit Day 2013, please continue to spread the message and take action against bullying:
- Take a look at photos of who went purple to support LGBT youth
- Upload your own photos of you wearing purple to our website.
- Add your photos to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr using hashtag #SpiritDay
- Taking action to stand against bullying year round
Thanks for helping make Spirit Day 2013 a success!