Spirit Day

take the pledge against bullying

Each year on Spirit Day, millions go purple to support LGBTQ youth.
Add your name below to take the pledge against bullying.

what is spirit day?

Today, LGBTQ youth, and especially our trans and nonbinary youth, are experiencing a level of scrutiny in schools we have never seen, leading to an environment rife with stressors beyond the peer-to-peer bullying of the past. From book bans to sports teams bans, to bathroom restrictions and teachers barred from using preferred pronouns, the means by which a student can express themselves and see others like them are increasingly being challenged. Cyberbullying is at an all time high as well. GLAAD’s 2022 Social Media Safety Index found severe harassment for LGBTQ users when compared to 2021. This anti-LGBTQ rhetoric then translates to real-life harm and has been cited as drivers of many of the nearly 250 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in states around the country this year alone, many of which target our LGBTQ youth. This year, Spirit Day is on October 20, 2022 and offers LGBTQ youth and their families a means of visibility and existence only made possible by providing life-saving visibility for those who need it more than ever. Take the Spirit Day pledge to show LGBTQ youth you've got their backs at glaad.org/spiritday. Follow @GLAAD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to keep up to date with #SpiritDay news.

why it matters

  • GLAAD Campus Ambassadors share the impact of bullying
  • Support LGBTQ youth and stand up against hate
  • LGBTQ students get real about bullying

learn the facts

  • 70.1%

    of LGBTQ students
    report being verbally
    harassed.*

  • 71%

    of LGBTQ students report
    hearing homophobic
    remarks from teachers and/
    or school staff because of
    their gender expression.*

  • 53.3%

    of LGBTQ students did
    not report experiences of
    bullying because they
    doubted an intervention.*

  • 48.7%

    of LGBTQ students
    have experienced
    cyberbullying.*

  • 29%

    of LGBTQ youth
    have experienced
    homelessness, been kicked
    out, or run away.^

  • 86%

    of LGBTQ youth said that
    recent politics have
    negatively impacted their
    well-being.^

  • 84%

    of LGBTQ adults agree there are not enough protections on social media to prevent discrimination, harassment, or disinformation. ^

  • 40%

    of all LGBTQ adults do not feel welcomed and safe on social media.^

  • 49%

    of transgender and nonbianry people do not feel welcomed and safe on social media.^

a 2021 national survey by The Trevor Project shows

  • the majority of LGBT youth (52%) who were enrolled in middle or high school report being bullied either in person or electronically in the past year.
  • Over 80% of youth said that celebrities who are LGBTQ positively impact how they feel about being LGBTQ
  • 1 in 3 LGBTQ youth
    reported that they
    had been physically
    threatened or
    harmed in their
    lifetime due to their
    LGBTQ identity.^
  • More than half of
    transgender and
    non-binary youth
    have seriously
    considered suicide.^
  • The proportion of
    LGBTQ youth
    reporting a suicide
    attempt in recent
    years was higher
    among youth of
    color     than White
    non-Hispanic youth."

how to participate