Orange is the New Black star and transgender advocate Laverne Cox took a quick break from filming to send a special message of support for LGBT youth about why she is going purple tomorrow for Spirit Day and why you should too! Advocate.com premiered the video. Fellow cast members Selenis Leyva and Yael Stone also sent a video message yesterday.
Laverne was honored with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 25th Annual GLAAD Media Awards earlier this year while Orange is the New Black received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. The hit Netflix original series features one of the most diverse casts on television, including one of the most exciting transgender characters to appear in some time with Cox's character, Sophia Burset. Cox made Emmy history this year when she became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy in an acting category for her work on the series.
GLAAD announced last week that she will light the iconic Empire State Building purple for Spirit Day on October 16. She will be joined by several of the young people featured in her upcoming documentary Laverne Cox Presents:The T Word, premiering Friday at 7/6c simulcast on MTV and Logo TV. This is the first time that the world's most famous office building will go purple for Spirit Day in a stand against bullying.
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 partners Comcast-NBCUniversal and Google, and supporting partner American Eagle Outfitters.
Check out glaad.org/spiritday for more about how to stand against anti-LGBT bullying and follow @GLAAD on Twitter to keep up to date with #spiritday news!