Spirit Day - GLAAD

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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 students’ 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.

learn the facts

76.1%

of LGBTQ students report being verbally harassed.‘

72%

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

50.3%

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 nonbinary 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.

Since the start of 2022, lawmakers have proposed 325 anti-LGBTQ bills, 130 of which target the rights of transgender people, especially trans youth.

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.“

go purple

Let the internet help you select your best #SpiritDay styles, by create a video for showing off your best purple fits.

Watch our video and editing tutorial for inspiration

#GoPurple

@GLAAD

get ready

@dustinhood_ GLAAD’s Spirit Day is a month away! What are you gonna wear?!?! Stand with me against LGBTQ bullying by wearing purple on Oct. 20th. #spiritday #glaad #bullying #againstbullying #cyberbullyingawareness #bullyingawareness #bullyingisnotokay #bullyingisnotokay@glaad ♬ original sound - Dustin Hood

‘how to’ get ready

@dustinhood_ So you wanna learn how to make a jump change transition video? #spiritday #tutorial #glaad #bullying #againstbullying #cyberbullyingawareness #bullyingawareness #bullyingisnotokay #HowTo #changetransition #jumptofightbullying ♬ original sound - Dustin Hood