The Great White Way donned a different color today in solidarity with LGBTQ youth for GLAAD’s Spirit Day!
Purple made its way up and down Broadway, reminding audiences that the theater continues to be a longstanding safe space for LGBTQ people and marginalized communities. Cast members wore “I support LGBTQ youth” t-shirts backstage, and marquees sent digital messages of support to trans and queer kids.
Check out which musicals joined GLAAD for this year’s Spirit Day celebration below:
A Strange Loop
WE GOIN PURPLE FOR @GLAAD #SPIRITDAY!
Take the pledge against bullying here: https://t.co/sn6nKXBMMC pic.twitter.com/tNNiGSxmMZ
— A Strange Loop on Broadway (@StrangeLoopBway) October 20, 2022
Into the Woods
Six
QUEENDOM! You know purple is our signature color Join us in going purple and taking the pledge against bullying on October 20th for #SpiritDay! Add your name to support at https://t.co/ChJZt6YfDr @glaad pic.twitter.com/fZudYXpsmZ
— SIX on Broadway (@SixBroadway) October 18, 2022
Moulin Rouge
In addition, 1776 cast member Sushma Saha shared a powerful video message for queer youth on GLAAD’s Instagram:
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About #SpiritDay
GLAAD organizes celebrities, media outlets, brands, landmarks, sports leagues, faith groups, school districts, organizations, colleges and universities in what has become the most visible anti-LGBTQ bullying campaign in the world. Purple symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag.
The annual tradition was started in 2010 by GLAAD and then high school student Brittany McMillan, in memory of the LGBTQ youth who died by suicide. McMillan encouraged her friends to wear purple on a day in October — a day that came to be known as Spirit Day.
Today, LGBTQ youth, and especially 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 bans on trans youth in sports, to bathroom restrictions and teachers barred from using correct pronouns, the means by which a student can express themselves and see others like them are increasingly being challenged.
GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey, released earlier this week, reported nearly 82% of LGBTQ students feel unsafe in school. 76% experienced in-person verbal harassment (e.g., called names or threatened) and 31% were physically harassed. Earlier this year, The Trevor Project reported 85% of transgender and nonbinary youth say that recent debates around anti-trans bills have negatively impacted their mental health.
GLAAD’s 2022 Social Media Safety Index found severe harassment for LGBTQ users when compared to 2021. This anti-LGBTQ rhetoric translates to real-life harm and has been cited as drivers of many of the over 300 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in states around the country this year alone, many of which target LGBTQ young people.
Take the Spirit Day pledge to show LGBTQ youth you’ve got their backs at glaad.org/spiritday.
For more information on Spirit Day, visit glaad.org/spiritday and follow @GLAAD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to keep up to date with #SpiritDay news.
About GLAAD
GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.
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(SOURCE) https://www.glaad.org/blog/broadway-goes-purple-support-lgbtq-youth-spiritday