Spirit Day

Spirit Day is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on the third Thursday in October. Started in 2010 by Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan, it was initially created in response to a rash of widely publicized bullying-related suicides of gay school students in 2010, including that of Tyler Clementi. Promoted by GLAAD, observers wear the color purple as a visible sign of support for LGBTQ youth and against bullying during National Bullying Prevention Month, as well as to honor LGBTQ victims of suicide.

The first observance took place on Wednesday, October 20, 2010. Later observances were held on Thursday, October 20, 2011 and Friday, October 19, 2012 before the tradition of the third Thursday of October was established in 2013.

After the inaugural observance received promotion by GLAAD, many Hollywood celebrities wore purple on this day to show their support of the cause, and many websites added a prominent purple shade to their design. On Facebook, event pages created for the observance attracted more than 1.6 million users worldwide.

Further national and international attention was drawn to Spirit Day when Clint McCance, the vice-president of an Arkansas school board, posted incendiary anti-homosexual remarks on Facebook. McCance ultimately apologised and resigned on the CNN program Anderson Cooper 360°; however, he received further criticism for what many perceived to be an insincere non-apology apology, including from Dr. Phil in a later Anderson Cooper interview. McCance submitted his resignation letter to the Midlands School District effective November 1, 2010.

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