Millions to go purple for 'Spirit Day' in united stand against bullying, 10/17

MTV talent including Ke$ha, JWOWW, Snooki, Nev and Max; Kye Allums, Jason Collins, the cast of 'Degrassi,' Elvis Duran, Brittney Griner, Jazz, Archie Comics' Kevin Keller, Maria Menounos, Kacey Musgraves, Cristina Saralegui among Spirit Day Ambassadors  

MTV, NYSE, and Times Square go purple for 'Spirit Day'

MTV talent including Ke$ha, Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi and Jenni   ‘JWOWW’ Farley from ‘Snooki and JWOWW,’ and Nev Schulman and Max Joseph from   ‘Catfish: The TV Show’; trans athlete and advocate Kye Allums; openly gay   basketball player Jason Collins; the cast of TeenNick's 'Degrassi'; celebrity   radio host Elvis Duran; WNBA player Brittney Griner; 12 year-old transgender   advocate and star of 'I am Jazz: A family in transition' Jazz; Archie Comics'   Kevin Keller; Extra Host Maria Menounos; country music artist Kacey   Musgraves; and Spanish-language talk show host Cristina Saralegui will join   GLAAD, hundreds of corporations, national landmarks, schools, local   communities and millions of Americans in wearing purple and 'going purple'   online for Spirit Day on October 17, 2013, in a stand against bullying and to   show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth.   Celebrity participants announced today will serve as Spirit Day Ambassadors   for the 2013 campaign, helping to bring Spirit Day and positive messages of   support to LGBT youth everywhere.

  GLAAD today also announced the Spirit Day Pledge sweepstakes. Supporters who   pledge to wear purple on Spirit Day in a stand against bullying will be   automatically entered to win a trip for two to Las Vegas, including   first-class airfare courtesy Delta Air Lines, a two-night stay at Caesars   Palace Las Vegas courtesy of Caesars Entertainment, two tickets to SHANIA:   STILL THE ONE at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, and a post-show   meet-and-greet with international superstar and the world's best-selling   female country artist of all time, Shania Twain. Additionally, Caesars Palace   will be turning its iconic Las Vegas fountains purple for Spirit Day in a   united stand against bullying. To take the Spirit Day Pledge, visit http://glaad.org/spiritday

  "As our country moves closer to full legal equality for lesbian, gay,   bisexual and transgender people, LGBT youth continue to face staggering rates   of bullying at school," said GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz. "On   October 17th, we urge you to join us in helping to send a powerful message of   support to LGBT youth everywhere."

  For the third year in a row, MTV and mtvU will turn purple on-air and online   to celebrate Spirit Day, as will MTV’s Times Square Screens. MTV’s ACT Blog,   which will also "go purple," will feature special coverage of the day, and   the first 500 people who share a purple-themed photo with MTV’s "A Thin Line"   campaign on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #SpiritDay will receive a   free "A Thin Line" bracelet. The "A Thin Line" campaign, which   empowers young people to help stop the spread of digital abuse, has   already inspired more than 1.5 million young people to take action.

  Participating national landmarks include Las Vegas' Fremont Street   Experience, the LAX pylon lights, the New York Stock Exchange, and Times   Square.

  Corporations including American Eagle Outfitters, Brown-Forman Corporation, Caesars   Foundation, Delta Air Lines, esurance, Facebook, Ketel One Vodka, MTV,   NASDAQ, Thomson Reuters, Toyota Financial Services, Wells Fargo, Westfield   Group, and ZipCar will also participate in Spirit Day. Participating   companies will distribute information to employees about wearing purple   and/or turn their logo purple on October 17.

  For a complete list of celebrity participants, media outlets, TV networks,   organizations and corporations visit http://glaad.org/spiritday.   Additional participants to be announced.

  Millions wear purple on Spirit Day   as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth   and to speak out against bullying. Spirit Day was started in 2010 as a   response to the young people who had taken their own lives. With GLAAD’s   help, Spirit Day has since garnered widespread support from celebrities, TV   news and entertainment programs, corporations, organizations, schools, local   communities, and even national landmarks. Spirit Day coincides with GLSEN’s   Ally Week, as well as National Bullying Prevention Month.

  According to GLSEN's 2011 National School Climate Survey, 63.5% of LGBT   students reported feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual   orientation, 43.9% because of their gender expression. GLSEN also reported   that 81.9% of LGBT students report being verbally harassed because of their   sexual orientation, and 27.1% because of their gender expression.

  Previous Spirit Day participants include The White House, Oprah, Ellen   DeGeneres, Cher, Shaquille O'Neal, The View, The Talk, The Tonight Show,   Extra, the NBA, the NFL, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, Facebook, Twitter,   Tumblr, the Las Vegas Strip, and more. For more information, visit http://glaad.org/spiritday

  ###

  About GLAAD: GLAAD   amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share   their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they   present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By   ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD   promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more   information, please visit www.glaad.org or   connect with GLAAD on Facebook and   Twitter.