GLAAD Celebrates 5th Annual Spirit Day Concert

GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis and this year’s host, Frankie Grande, presented GLAAD’s 5th annual Spirit Day Concert, bringing awareness to Spirit Day – an anti-bullying campaign supporting LGBTQ youth. The concert shone the spotlight on some of the music industry’s top performers and emerging queer intersectional artists who are revolutionizing the industry and changing the world. Celebrated on the third Thursday in October, the event provides much-needed visibility and creates possibility models for LGBTQ youth who experience bullying at disproportionately high rates. Each year, GLAAD encourages millions of people to go purple for LGBTQ youth.

Powered by Live Nation and The Recording Academy, the annual GLAAD tradition opened to the public for the first time and featured performances from VINCINT (lead photo), Lauren Jauregui, The Scarlet Opera, Wayne Brady, and more. Proceeds from this historic live music event amplify GLAAD’s mission to accelerate acceptance and give LGBTQ youth, their parents, educators, allies, and more an opportunity to see what’s possible when we lead with acceptance. Hyundai is a Major sponsor of the concert, and M&M’s returned as an Official sponsor.

About Spirit Day: Each year, GLAAD organizes celebrities, media outlets, brands, landmarks, sports leagues, faith groups, school districts, organizations, colleges and universities in what has become the most visible anti-LGBTQ bullying campaign in the world. The name “Spirit Day” comes from the purple stripe of the Rainbow flag, whose creator Gilbert Baker defined as “representing ‘spirit.’” The annual tradition was started in 2010 by GLAAD and then high school student Brittany McMillan, in memory of the LGBTQ youth who died by suicide. McMillan encouraged her friends to wear purple on a day in October — a day that came to be known as Spirit Day. A few statistics from GLAAD: • 60% of LGBTQ young people reported that they have felt discriminated against in the past year due to their sexual orientation or gender identity • 53% of LGBTQ young people said they were verbally harassed at school because people simply thought they were LGBTQ. • 66% of LGBTQ young people said that hearing about potential state or local laws banning people from discussing LGBTQ people at school made their mental health a lot worse. Each year, GLAAD encourages millions of people to go purple for LGBTQ youth. Learn more about Spirit Day at glaad.org/spiritday. As anti-LGBTQ policies, hate crimes, and harassment are on the rise, it is now especially important to let all marginalized youth know they are supported.