SOCIETY

Social media goes purple for Spirit Day to fight bullying of LGBT youth

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Here's why your social media feed has turned purple

Spirit Day, the third Thursday in October, is meant to raise awareness for LGBT individuals affected by bullying.

One out of four children is bullied at school, but that number is much higher for youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. A 2015 study found that as much as 89 percent of LGBT youth had experienced some type of "peer victimization" in the past year alone.

Spirit Day is an annual effort to turn social media purple to raise awareness of bullied LGBT youth. Supporters wear purple to work or school, posting photos with the hashtag #SpiritDay.

Millions of people have supported Spirit Day since it began in 2010 to raise awareness of LGBT teens who had taken their own lives after being bullied, according to GLAAD.

LGBT students were more than twice as likely to have missed school in the past month because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable according to the 2015 study, conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. This bullying can lead to lower self-esteem, a lower GPA and less planning for college.

Here's a look at some of the celebrities, news personalities, brands and organizations going purple this year.