Starting with an anti-bullying rally this morning in New York, the WWE and The Creative Coalition are supporting LGBT youth with their Be a STAR initiative for GLAAD's Spirit Day.
WWE Superstars The Miz, Darren Young, Sin Cara, WWE Diva Natalya and WWE announcer Renee Young spoke about inclusivity and equality to 450 students in Spirit Day t-shirts at the South Bronx Academy for Applied Media. Members of GLAAD staff were also in attendance.
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With my new friends at the South Bronx School of Applied Media @omarsharifjr @sethbadam @zeke.stokes ... We spoke to some incredible kids today about equality, anti-bullying and reaching your dreams! #BeAStar #wwe #Glaad #NationalSpiritDay
“Spirit Day is an important time for everyone to stand up against bullying and discrimination,” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. “WWE is proud to support the LGBT community and GLAAD by spreading the message of respect and inclusion through our global platforms.”
Be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect), an anti-bullying initiative, and the WWE will be going purple online, as well, to reach hundreds of millions of fans about the importance of bring safety and effective resources to all kids and teens.
The WWE, including Superstar Darren Young, participated actively in Spirit Day last year as well, including with social media and videos. For the first time, Be a STAR will turn their logo purple to participate in the worldwide campaign.
According to GLSEN's 2011 National School Climate Survey, 63.5% of LGBT students reported feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and 43.9% because of their gender expression. GLSEN also reported that 81.9% of LGBT students report being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation and 63.9% because of their gender expression.
Spirit Day, which will take place on October 16, inspires millions to wear purple or "go purple" online in a united stand against bullying and to show their support for LGBT youth. Each year, Spirit Day draws the participation of celebrities, corporations, media outlets, sports leagues, schools, faith institutions, national landmarks, and individuals. Spirit Day is made possible by the generous support of its national partners PepsiCo and Wells Fargo, as well as official partner Comcast-NBCUniversal, and supporting partner American Eagle Outfitters.
It's not too late to take the Spirit Day pledge. Check out glaad.org/spiritday for more about how to stand against anti-LGBT bullying.
