To share the company's support for LGBT youth, Coca-Cola Foundation's Chair and the company's Vice President of Global Community Connections Lisa Borders encourages everyone to take a stand against bullying by participating in Spirit day.
"We want to stand with our family and our friends and the LGBT community in support of anyone and everyone who has ever been bullied," says Borders, who refers to Coca-Cola as one of the most inclusive brands.
The company also posted an article on its site today, elaborating on the important of today's worldwide campaign.
John Lewis, Coca-Cola's Jr. Global Chief Diversity Office, wrote:
This year, our Company formally announced that beginning in 2015, the Company would “gross up” taxes for all eligible active U.S. employees whose same-sex spouse or partner is enrolled in health benefits and live in states that do not recognize same-sex marriage. This will help defray the additional taxes that same-sex spouses or partners pay for these benefits.
This past week, we welcomed the GLAAD Board of Directors to our Atlanta Office Complex and were pleased to host their meetings. . .
We have made great strides this year. We have more work to do.
Spirit Day, which takes place today, 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.
You can go purple now by putting on purple, posting about #spiritday, and sharing your favorite #spiritday posts on social media.
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!