Sports leagues and entertainment organizations will be sharing information about Spirit Day on social media, including official Facebook and Twitter accounts. This is the second consecutive year that each has participated.
For more information on Spirit Day and to go purple on October 17 or participate on social media, visit http://glaad.org/spiritday. Each year, GLAAD organizes hundreds of celebrities, entertainment organizations, brands, landmarks, sports leagues, faith groups, school districts, colleges and universities to speak out in support of LGBT youth on Spirit Day.
Transgender athlete Kye Allums, out basketball players Jason Collins and Brittney Griner, and out WWE Superstar Darren Young will serve as Spirit Day Ambassadors, it was also announced. Athlete Ally and the You Can Play Project will also participate as part of their work to end homophobia and transphobia in sports.
"By coming together to support LGBT youth, American sports leagues are sending a clear message to fans everywhere: homophobia has no place in the game," said GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz. "Whether on the field, in the locker room, or cheering from the stands it's clear that LGBT people are essential to the sports community."
"The You Can Play Project proudly recognizes Spirit Day as a time for everyone to stand in solidarity with LGBT youth to fight against bullying and other forms of discrimination and to celebrate their courage and strength," said Wade Davis, Executive Director of the You Can Play Project and an openly gay, former NFL player.
GLAAD previously announced that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, MTV talent including Ke$ha, Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi and Jenni ‘JWOWW’ Farley, Nev Schulman and Max Joseph from ‘Catfish: The TV Show’; the cast of TeenNick's 'Degrassi'; celebrity radio host Elvis Duran; 12 year-old transgender advocate Jazz; Archie Comics' Kevin Keller; Extra Host Maria Menounos; country music artist Kacey Musgraves, and Spanish-language talk show host Cristina Saralegui will serve as Spirit Day ambassadors, who are participating and speaking out against bullying.
News anchors and hosts from Access Hollywood, CNBC, Extra, Jimmy Kimmel Live, MSNBC, Telemundo, The Talk, The View, Watch What Happens Live, the Wendy Williams Show, and more will be wearing purple on-air for Spirit Day.
Additional Spirit Day participants include the stars of TV Land's 'Hot in Cleveland,' Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White. They will be joined by: Tatyana Ali, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Kristen Bell, Nate Berkus, Sarah Brightman, Nick Cannon, Laverne Cox, Aviva Drescher, Dr. Drew, Melissa Etheridge, Nicola Foti, Steve Grand, Shenae Grimes & Josh Beech, Dot Marie Jones, Mary Lambert, Demi Lovato, Loni Love, Holly Madison, Lori Michaels, Isaac Mizrahi, Stephanie Nogueras, Suze Orman, Eric Petersen, Mary Povich, Sara Rue, Doreen Taylor, Jordan Todosey, Davey Wavey, Nick Wechsler, Betty Who and Zendaya. More names to be announced.
Participating national landmarks include Las Vegas' Fremont Street Experience, the LAX pylon lights, the New York Stock Exchange, and Times Square, including billboards at American Eagle Outfitters, MTV, NASDAQ, and the Thomson Reuters building. Out country music star Steve Grand will play a free concert at Las Vegas' iconic Fremont Street Experience.
VH1, TV Land and Logo will turn on-air logos purple in recognition of Spirit Day. 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.
Elvis Duran and the Morning Show are encouraging listeners in over 70 markets, as well as celebrity guests to go purple for Spirit Day. The Elvis Duran and the Morning Show will turn its official Facebook and Twitter profile photos purple. Additionally, the ElvisDuran.com store (http://store.elvisduran.com/) is featuring a purple 'Spirit Day T-Shirt,' with all proceeds benefitting GLAAD's. The Elvis Duran and The Morning Show pledge video can be found here.
Clear Channel Media and Entertainment this week debuted the 'Spirit Day Radio' station on its iHeartRadio digital music platform (http://www.iheart.com/original/Spirit-Day), featuring recording artists that have participated or will participate in Spirit Day to stand up against bullying. Featured artists include Ke$ha, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Demi Lovato, Cher, Cyndi Lauper, Frank Ocean, Adam Lambert, Melissa Etheridge, and more. Additionally, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment will share its support for Spirit Day online through the iHeartRadio Facebook and Twitter channels.
American Apparel this week launched an exclusive Spirit Day Store online, offering Spirit Day supporters a 10% discount on select purple items, with an additional 10% of 'purple proceeds' benefitting GLAAD's work to build support for equality.
