Wear Purple today 10/20

[Pennsylvania]

in remembrance of recent gay suicides

Spirit Day a Way to Remember and Show Solidarity
Wearing purple October 20 for gay suicide victims

By Nicole Rojas (COM’12)

The death of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi on September 23 made international headlines and cast a spotlight on an issue all too often ignored: the bullying of gay teenagers by their peers. The Rutgers University freshman leapt to his death from the George Washington Bridge after a roommate secretly taped him having sex with another man, then posted it on the internet.

Even more shocking, Clementi was one of seven teenagers believed to have killed themselves in recent weeks because of relentless bullying over their sexual orientation. Two of the boys who died were just 13.

People across the United States and Canada are being urged to wear some article of purple clothing today in remembrance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth who have taken their lives because of taunting by peers.

The event, called Spirit Day is the brainchild of Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan. The 16-year-old suggested the color purple for a reason. “Purple represents spirit on the LGBTQ flag, and that’s exactly what we’d like everyone to take with them today,” she says. After coming up with the idea, McMillan wrote about it on her blog, Tumblr, and then asked readers to repost and promote Spirit Day among their peers.

The idea took off. More than a million Facebook users have pledged to wear purple today. McMillan says that “we will wear purple in memory of the recent gay suicides. Many of them suffered from homophobic abuse in their schools or in their homes. We want to take a stand to say that we will not tolerate this.”

Among those at BU planning to take part in Spirit Day is Elizabeth Breen (COM’12), who says she has many LGBT friends and today’s event is a chance to show solidarity. “I just think it’s hard enough for people to be themselves anyway,” she says. “I can’t imagine being yourself and people hating you for it.”

McMillan hopes that everyone will participate in Spirit Day. People “don’t necessarily have to agree with homosexuality to wear purple, nor do they have to be LGBTQ,” she says. “They just have to recognize that it’s wrong to bully someone for their sexual orientation.”

Spirit Day will be held worldwide today, Wednesday, October 20. Participants are asked to wear anything with the color purple to commemorate the deaths of seven students caused by peer bullying over the past several weeks. More information is available here.

(bolded mine)

Source (bu.edu)

[Pennsylvania]

bump

[torchbearer]

i don't get it.

[Pennsylvania]

i don't get it.

Is there something in particular you don't get?

To me, it's about showing solidarity against picking on people or negatively targeting them for having a different sexual orientation.

[Spider-Man]

[zach]

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

[Deborah K]

What about people who were bullied into suicide who weren't gay?

[Pennsylvania]

What about people who were bullied into suicide who weren't gay?

I'd support a day of remembrance for that as well, maybe do the ribbon thing, or even just wear black. I don't think bullying is acceptable regardless of the motivation.

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

I'm not trying to be a party pooper or anything but I just don't understand how wearing a certain color is supposed to bring attention to certain causes. Why not just actually talk to people and raise money for a cause or just raise awareness for something you believe in?

[Pennsylvania]

I'm not trying to be a party pooper or anything but I just don't understand how wearing a certain color is supposed to bring attention to certain causes. Why not just actually talk to people and raise money for a cause or just raise awareness for something you believe in?

I guess it's kind of like the slave uprising bands, in that it's more about solidarity rather than conversion. Of course I'd say it's definitely a good thing if people wanted to make signs or logos and stuff.

[Madly_Sane]

Wasn't there something on the news about bullying becoming a felon?

[fletcher]

I'd support a day of remembrance for that as well, maybe do the ribbon thing, or even just wear black. I don't think bullying is acceptable regardless of the motivation.

So why separate out people that weren't gay? They can't be remembered at the same time? This is collectivist nonsense.

The only reason I wear purple is to show my support for Gogol Bordello.

YouTube - Gogol Bordello - start wearing purple

[Danke]

What color does "Remembrance of Transgender Suicide Day" get?

[zach]

To me, it's for anyone determining to be their own person regardless of the associated label and attached societal stigma.

No one deserves that type of projected outrage.
It's not nonsense; we're all made of the same $#@!ing biology!
Tear down the damn labels already, and let's try to help each other out in whatever way possible.

[Krugerrand]

Wasn't there something on the news about bullying becoming a felon?

Does that apply to the IRS?

[torchbearer]

what does purple have to do with gay suicide?

[Spider-Man]

what does purple have to do with gay suicide?

Gay people have purple blood. Kind of like Klingons.

[heavenlyboy34]

Gay people have purple blood. Kind of like Klingons.

srsly? I didn't know that! lolz

[Danke]

Gay people have purple blood. Kind of like Klingons.

I thought it was 'cause gay people like purple foo foo drinks?

[jsu718]

Hmm... I will not be wearing purple. I oppose all bullying, so in order to not slight all other forms of bullying and therefore be seen as supporting them, I will not raise the level of this form of bullying to a status of superiority to the others.

[Natalie]

//

[james1906]

[Uriel999]

So why separate out people that weren't gay? They can't be remembered at the same time? This is collectivist nonsense.

The only reason I wear purple is to show my support for Gogol Bordello.

YouTube - Gogol Bordello - start wearing purple

that song is so awesome, I have not heard it in years.

[libertarian4321]

I'm not trying to be a party pooper or anything but I just don't understand how wearing a certain color is supposed to bring attention to certain causes.

Speaking of pointless symbolism, how stupid is it that NFL players are wearing hot pink gloves, shoes, etc to "support breast cancer awareness" or something. I thought it was going to be one week of absurdity, but some of them are still wearing hot pink accessories.

[Live_Free_Or_Die]

I will not support this by wearing purple. Neither would I support a wear red for recent christian suicides day. Neither would I support a wear black for recent African American suicides day.

I would support a recent human being suicides day.

I would not support a human being suicide victim day because suicide produces no victims that have endured physical harm or property damage. The only person harmed is the individual who voluntarily committed suicide.

I would support condemning bullying and expect it to include spreading a message of love and peace among human beings.

[lester1/2jr]

I have never worn purple in my entire life. I hate it I'm sorry.

[Kludge]

I have never worn purple in my entire life. I hate it I'm sorry.

+1

The only time I wore purple was for a Spanish class in high school.

... We had to make & wear a shirt with Spanish on it. I drew John Stossel's mustache and complimented it in purple text.

Not only do I not have a picture of me in it, but I seem to have left the shirt somewhere in the state of North Carolina.



Edit: Oh -- the OP. Right. I don't think this will help with the bully mentality against gays. If anything, this will just point out targets for the bullies, just like the anti-bullying bracelets did. That said - among people who aren't at much risk for being bullied -- go ahead. - But I don't own purple and wouldn't wear purple even if there were some massive "wear purple to show you're against the Iraq War" day.

Going back off topic - when I was in high school, the school administration issued bulletins asserting doing a fairly common white-out (where all students wear white to a football game) would become punishable if done at a particular game. They decided the school we were playing had too many black kids and it'd be taken as racist to do a white-out.

[specsaregood]

i don't get it.

Well since purple is the traditional color of royalty.....clearly they are saying gays are better than you.

[lester1/2jr]

many are. I still won't wear purple