Spirit Day - Purple Day

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Why Are You Wearing Purple Today?
October 20, 2010

I only wear shirts on special occasions – and today is pretty special.

In grassroots effort that appears to have started on Facebook, more than 1.6 million people (including a bunch of celebrities) have pledged to wear purple in memory of the recent gay suicides.

I’m wearing purple to help raise awareness for an issue that has gone under the radar far too long. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that nearly 1,500 LGBT youth take their life each year. One can only guess how many of those are because of nasty comments, a lack of acceptance or bullying.

I’m wearing purple because I think there is a silver lining in this horrible, dark cloud. I think the best way to honor Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase and Billy Lucas is to leverage the power of this moment to change the status quo.

I’m wearing purple because it’s one small thing we can do to show solidarity for our brothers and sisters that are trying to find their path. It’s my way of saying, “I am here for you.”

That’s why I’m wearing purple, but why are you? Please record a 15-second (or shorter) video that I can feature on the site. Or, tell us why you are wearing purple in the comments below [on Davey Wavey's blog, or here too if you so wish].

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