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Celebrate Spirit Day & Take a Stand Against Bullying

Celebrate Spirit Day & Take a Stand Against Bullying

Today is Spirit Day, an annual event in which millions wear the color purple to take a stand against the bullying of LGBT youth. There’s no denying that we have come a long way on the road to equality and acceptance, and there’s no doubt that we still have a long road ahead of us. One of the speed bumps along the road to full equality is the bullying of our LGBT youth. Many young queers experience verbal, physical, and emotional abuse from their peers, which leads to higher rates in depression and suicide.

The 2013 National School Climate Survey, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network’s biennial report on the school experiences of LGBT youth in schools, shows us just how much discrimination and harassment young LGBT people face.

According to the survey, 55 percent of LGBT students felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation, and 37.8% because of their gender expression. Nearly one third of those students have skipped at least one day of school a month because they felt unsafe.

More than 70 percent heard homophobic remarks while at school from their peers, and 51 percent reported hearing them from teachers or staff. More than 70 percent of students were verbally harassed (e.g., called names or threatened) in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 55.2 percent because of their gender expression.

This is a problem. This is why Spirit Day is important. Observed annually since 2010, individuals, schools, organizations, corporations, and public figures wear purple, which symbolizes ‘spirit’ on the rainbow flag.

In Colorado, the reality that many LGBT young people face in our schools is heartbreaking. Nine out of 10 students hear anti-gay remarks on a daily basis and five out of 10 students regularly hear negative comments about transgender people. This is part of the reason that 48.5 percent of Colorado’s lesbian, gay, and bisexual teenagers have considered suicide in the last year – a number that is even higher if you are a transgender young person in Colorado.

So One Colorado, the state’s leading advocacy organization dedicated to advancing equality for LGBT Coloradans, is making sure that local queer youth feel the support from their neighbors.

Tonight, the Denver City and County Building will be lit up in purple in honor of Spirit Day. They are also encouraging people to post photos of them sporting purple, and tagging @onecolorado on Facebook and @One_Colorado on Twitter.

“We’re asking you to wear purple, take a photo of yourself, and post it on social media, so that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender young people across the state can see how many people support them,” Laura “Pinky” Reinsch, communication director, says.

Show your support for our youth, our future LGBT leaders and advocates, our family.

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