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Steve Warren to receive Stephen F. Kolzak Award; Leonardo DiCarprio, Charlize Theron, and Jennifer Lawrence to present.

Los Angeles, April 3, 2013 - GLAAD, the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization, today announced it will honor former President Bill Clinton at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. Entertainment attorney Steve Warren will also receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award during the event at the JW Marriott on April 20, 2013.

For tickets, table purchases and additional information about the GLAAD Media Awards visit http://glaad.org/mediaawards.

Bill Clinton will receive GLAAD’s first Advocate for Change Award during the event. In 2011, Clinton advocated for marriage equality in New York, stating that “for more than a century, our Statue of Liberty has welcomed all kinds of people from all over the world yearning to be free. In the 21st century, I believe New York’s welcome must include marriage equality.” In 2012, he joined the Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families in working against North Carolina’s proposed Amendment One to ban marriage and civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. Most recently, he called for the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act in an op-ed for The Washington Post.

During his administration, Clinton became the first U.S. President to appoint out gay and lesbian people to all levels of government. He appointed more than 150 including James Hormel as America’s first openly gay ambassador. During the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, his administration convened the first White House Conference on the epidemic, created the national AIDS Policy Coordinator post, and expanded funding for research.  In 2002, his Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) began as the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in the developing world.

“President Clinton’s support of the LGBT community and recognition that DOMA, the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, is unconstitutional and should be struck down shows that the political landscape continues to change in favor of LGBT equality,” said GLAAD’s Wilson Cruz. “Leaders and allies like President Clinton are critical to moving our march for equality forward.”

GLAAD will present the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to Steve Warren. Warren, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, has been a practicing entertainment lawyer for twenty-seven years. He is a name partner at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller, LLP, specializing in the representation of actors, directors and writers. He served as the first out gay man on the Board of Trustees for his daughter’s school, the Center for Early Education, and currently serves as the first out gay man on the Board of Trustees at the Archer School for Girls. Warren joined GLAAD’s Board of Directors in 2010, and currently serves on the Executive Committee.

“Steve Warren’s work and career have opened doors for out professionals across the entertainment industry,” said Wilson Cruz. “In addition to advocating for LGBT people, he has continuously mobilized a large base of high-profile allies to help bring about social change,” said Cruz.

The Stephen F. Kolzak Award is named after a successful casting director who devoted the last part of his life to raising awareness in the entertainment industry about the discrimination faced by gay and HIV-positive people.  The award is presented to an openly LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality for our community. Previous recipients include Ellen DeGeneres, Sir Ian McKellen, Bill Condon, Wanda Sykes, Alan Ball and Robert Greenblatt.


Additional special guests for the Los Angeles event include: Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, and Jennifer Lawrence. Additional presenters and LGBT advocates will be announced.

The 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles are presented nationally by Ketel One Vodka and Wells Fargo and locally by Delta Air Lines.

The final GLAAD Media Awards event will take place in San Francisco on May 11 at the Hilton San Francisco – Union Square where Adam Lambert will receive the Davidson/Valentini Award.

Nominees for the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards were announced in January and are available here: http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees.  The New York GLAAD Media Awards were held on March 16 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives.   They also fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories from the LGBT community that build support for equality.  Each year, the GLAAD Media Awards in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco bring together more than 5,000 advocates and allies to raise critical funds for the organization’s work.

The 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are executive produced by Marc Honaker, Director of Creative Development at GLAAD, and by Josh Wood, founder and president of Josh Wood Productions. Emmy Award-winning production designer James Connelly will design this year’s set. Producer and editor Brett Henrichsen will also contribute to this year’s GLAAD Media Awards.

To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards.

About GLAAD: GLAAD amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.

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All major professional sports leagues to ‘go purple’ for Spirit Day with GLAAD in a historic show of support for LGBT youth on October 19

MLB, MLS Cares, NBA, WNBA, NFL, NASCAR Diversity, NHL, USA Track & Field, WWE join millions to speak out against bullying
Ricky Martin, Country music icon Reba McEntire, Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi, Jenni ‘JWoww’ Farley, Country Music Television (CMT), CNBC, MTV, VH1, Logo, BET, NBCUniversal, Paris Hilton, ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ Sign, New York Stock Exchange, Hosts of Good Morning America, The Talk, Days of Our Lives cast, Dianna Agron, Chaz Bono, Fran Drescher, Joel McHale, Sir Ian McKellen, Maria Menounos, Bernadette Peters and more pledge to wear purple in stand against bullying.

NEW YORK, NY, October 18, 2012 - In an unprecedented show of support, GLAAD today announced that the six most prominent American major sports leagues – The National Basketball Association (NBA) / Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Football League (NFL), the National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS) and NASCAR’s diversity program – will all ‘go purple’ for Spirit Day on Friday, October 19, in a stand against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. The six leagues will send messages on Spirit Day to bullied LGBT youth via Twitter and Facebook. The leagues join athletes like Shaquille O’Neal and Terrell Owens who have already pledged to ‘go purple,’ and sports organizations, including the GLAAD Amplifier Award-winning “You Can Play” project, GLAAD partner Athlete Ally, GO! Athletes, and UK Rugby champion Ben Cohen’s StandUp Foundation. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), like the NBA, will be taking part in Spirit Day for the second consecutive year. USA Track & Field will also participate by providing support through social media.

For a full list of participants, an anti-bullying resource kit for students and parents as well as Spirit Day digital apps visit glaad.org/spiritday and follow #SpiritDay

“From sports leagues to faith institutions to national monuments, schools and celebrities, millions of Americans will unite this week in an extraordinary show of support for LGBT youth and in a stand against bullying,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. “At a time when 8 out of 10 LGBT youth report being harassed at school, it’s now more important than ever that we let every young person know that it’s okay to be who you are.”

Country music icon Reba McEntire and Country Music Television (CMT) will join MTV, VH1, Logo and BET, as well as Latin music icon Ricky Martin, pop sensation Fun., 80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper, Grammy Award-winning R&B recording artist Brandy Norwood, teen music star Aaron Carter, country music star Chely Wright, Broadway legend Bernadette Peters and EGOT Rita Moreno in ‘going purple’ for Spirit Day on October 19. More than one hundred celebrity participants are listed below or here: www.glaad.org/spiritday/entertainment

Viacom’s brands will be participating on-air, online, through social media and employee engagement efforts. MTV, VH1, Logo, TV Land and TeenNick will turn on-air logos purple on Spirit Day; MTV, VH1 and Logo will turn online logos purple as well and support through social media, VH1.com, LogoTV.com and NewNowNext.com, which will be posting feature stories and never-before-seen “It Gets Better” clips. MTV will turn its 44 ? high-definition screen in Times Square purple for the day. The cast of TeenNick’s ‘Degrassi’ and ‘Victorious’ star Avan Jogia will be wearing purple and Viacom, BET, CMT and Paramount Pictures will also support the day through social media. MTV stars, including ‘Jersey Shore’ cast members DJ Pauly D, Jenni ‘JWoww’ Farley, Sammi Giancola and Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi will also participate.

Comcast and NBCUniversal will participate including NBC owned stations, Telemundo network and owned stations. Hosts of “Access Hollywood,” CNBC, “Chelsea Lately,” and E! News, among others, will wear purple.

The Sundance Channel will also participate by turning its on-air and web logos purple for Spirit Day on October 19. Additionally, the network will go purple on its social media pages and share photos of Sundance staff in their Spirit Day purple.

The ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign’ will be turned purple and several hotels on the Las Vegas strip will light their marquees purple with an anti-bullying message, GLAAD previously announced with R&R Partners Foundation. In addition, the Duke Energy Tower in Charlotte, NC will join the New York Stock Exchange, Thomson Reuters’ Times Square screen, the LAX Pylon Lights and JFK traffic tower in lighting up purple for Spirit Day on October 19.

Hosts of ‘Good Morning America’ will wear purple on the October 19 show. ‘Watch What Happens Live’ host Andy Cohen will also wear purple for Spirit Day on the October 18 program. Hosts of “Access Hollywood,” CNBC, “Chelsea Lately,” “E! News,” “Extra,” “The Talk,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and “The Wendy Williams Show” will also wear purple on the air for Spirit Day. Host of ‘Extra,’ Maria Menounos, will join previously announced celebrity participants including Dianna Agron, Perez Hilton, Avan Jogia, Shay Mitchell, Shaquille O’Neal, George Takei and Wendy Williams as a Spirit Day Ambassador.

American Apparel, the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, launched a Spirit Day store featuring the company’s purple clothing items. Spirit Day supporters will receive a special 10% discount on the purple items by using the promo code ‘SPIRIT’ at check out. American Apparel will also donate 10% of all ‘purple proceeds’ to GLAAD.

Each year GLAAD coordinates hundreds of national and local organizations, schools, celebrities, media, sports leagues, corporations, parishes, faith groups and landmarks. GLAAD is also working with gay teen Katy Butler who is calling for President Obama and Governor Romney to wear purple on Friday. Her Change.org petition has garnered thousands of signatures: glaad.org/purple2012. Earlier this year, Katy launched a Change.org petition to call on the MPAA to change the rating of the documentary BULLY.

Additionally, celebrities including Chad Allen, Juliette Angelo, Louis Van Amstel, Bryan Batt, Kristin Bauer van Straten,  Chaz Bono, Brandy, Bailey Buntain, Keenan Cahill, Kristin Cavallari, ‘Quan T. Chanteur, Crystal Chappell, Preston Charles, Christian Chavez, Derek Chavez, Margaret Cho, Mario Cimarro, Andy Cohen, Ron Corning, Andres Cuervo, Bianca and Chiara D’Ambrosio, the cast of Days of Our Lives, the cast of Degrassi, Heather Doerksen, Fran Drescher, Elvis Duran, Carmen Electra, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Craig Ferguson, Ray Ford, Fun., Stephen Fry, Rose Garcia, Teresa Giudice, Tony Goldwyn, Greer Grammer, Renee Graziano,  Kathy Griffin, Melanie Griffith, Damien Haas,  Randy Harrison, Paris Hilton, Perez Hilton, Lisa Hochstein, Cheyenne Jackson, LaToya Jackson, Peter Marc Jacobson, Avan Jogia, Kaya Jones, Tamala Jones, Jarod Joseph, Keahu Kahuaui, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Jennifer Knapp, C.J. Koegel, Kara Laricks, Laura Leon, Bubba Lewis, Judith Light, Mario Lopez, Katie Lowes, Jessica Lu, Lilia Luciano, Desi Lydic, Sean Maher, Marlee Matlin, Edith Marquez, Katlin Mastandrea, Lucia Mendez, Dean McDermott, Reba McEntire, Joel McHale, Sir Ian McKellan, Maria Menounous, Paula Meronek, Windell Middlebrooks, Andy Mientus, Justin Mikita, Cesar Milan, Dannii Minogue,  Alicia Minshew, D.W. Moffett, Rita Moreno, Sarah Mitchell,  Shay Mitchell, Sonja Morgan, Jessica Morris, Mary Murphy, Brandon Nelson, Matt Nordgren, Tyler Oakley, Shaquille O’Neal, JD Ordonez, Terrell Owens, AJ Pagan, Ian Patrick, Marysol Patton, Zack Pearlman, Bernadette Peters, Melissa Peterman, Pauly D, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Joey Pollari, Marisa del Portillo, Stephanie Pratt, Cierra Ramirez, Emilie de Ravin, Jasmine Reynaud, Jillian Rose Reed, Shonda Rhimes, Ashley Rickards, Brent Ridge, RoBA, Chef Jason Roberts, Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Sara Rue, Thomas Sadoski, SallyAnn Salsano, Erin Sanders, Helenna Santos-Levy, Kenny Santucci, Robb Schreiber, Diego Schoening, Benji Schwimmer, Ryan Serhant, William Shatner, Lindsey Shaw, Christina Sicoli, Gail Simmons, Freddie Smith, Evan Starkman, KaDee Strickland, George Takei, Molly Tarlov, Lea Thompson, Shannon Tweed-Simmons, Kirsten Vangsness, Vanessa Villela, Michelle Visage, Bruce Vilanch, Kathy Wakile, Stephen Wallem, Kerry Washington, Trey Weatherholtz, Jill and Nikki Weiss-Goldstein, Wendy Williams, Henry Winkler, Marissa Winokur and Kyra Zagorsky will also participate by going purple on October 19.  For a full list please visit: www.glaad.org/spiritday/entertainment

Celebrity participants and Spirit Day Ambassadors are also encouraging fans and supporters to donate to GLAAD, GLSEN and The Trevor Project by texting ‘PURPLE’ to 80888 to make a $5 contribution. AT&T is the exclusive underwriter of the Spirit Day Text Purple campaign.

In addition to the ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign, Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Treasure Island, The Tropicana Las Vegas and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will also turn their resort marquees purple along the Las Vegas Strip 11 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. and then again 10 p.m. 10:15 p.m. The Fremont Street Experience will also go purple for Spirit Day at 10 p.m. and again at 11 p.m., lighting its famed Viva Vision canopy, which consists of more than 12 million LED lights and spans four city blocks. Organized by The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada (The Center), a meet-up for teens and young adults will take place that evening at the Fremont Street Experience. Marquee Nightclub, located in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, will host a Spirit Day after-party with special celebrity host NHL star Sean Avery.

Other Las Vegas-area participants include Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA); Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN); Golden Rainbow; Hilton Garden Inn; Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce; Las Vegas Pride; Nevada State Senator David Parks; QVegas; and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

GLAAD and Toyota Financial Services last week announced the release of the “Go Purple for #SpiritDay powered by Toyota Financial Services” apps for iPhone and Android. The app provides users with anti-bullying resources, calls to action, and a tool that can turn photos purple and share to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The free app is now available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. To download, visit: glaad.org/spiritday/app

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation’s second largest school district with more than 640,000 students in over 900 schools, will participate by sharing information about Spirit Day with students on its website and through its social media channels.

Corporations including AMC Entertainment, American Airlines, American Apparel, AT&T, atelier-lb, Caesars Foundation, Carat, Citi, Comcast, CreagerCole Communications, Delta Air Lines, Draftfcb, Digitas, Ernst & Young LLP, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard Company, Hyatt, Johnnye’s East Texas Soul, LBNY, Leo Burnett Business, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Marquee Las Vegas, MediaVest, MetLife, MSL New York, Mobli, NBCUniversal, Nielsen, Omnicom Group, PepsiCo, Publicis Groupe, Publicis Kaplan Thaler, PwC, Saatchi & Saatchi, Seventeen Magazine, Southern California Edison, StumbleUpon, Thomson Reuters, Toyota Financial Services, tumblr, Viacom, Warner Bros., Wells Fargo, Yahoo! and Zenith Optimedia will also participate in Spirit Day. Participating companies will distribute information to employees about wearing purple and/or turn their logo purple on October 19.

Local and national groups and organizations including All Out; The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth; American Federation of Teachers (AFT); Athlete Ally; Bienestar; bklyn boihood; Broadway Impact; The Brown Boi Project; Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization; the BULLY Project; Campus Pride; CenterLink; Circle of Voices; Courage Campaign; Empire State Pride Agenda; Equality California; Equality Florida; Equality Illinois; Equality Maryland; Equality Matters; Equality Michigan; the Equality Network; Equality North Carolina; Equality Ohio; Equality Texas; Equality Utah; Fair Wisconsin; FALGBT; Familia es Familia; Fierce; Forty to None Project; Forum for Equality; Freedom to Marry; FriendFactor; Forum for Equality; Garden State Equality; Georgia Equality; Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY); Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD); the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN); Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD); Give a Damn Campaign; GMHC; GSA Network; Hetrick-Martin Institute; Hispanic Black Gay Coalition (HBGC); Human Rights Campaign (HRC); Immigration Equality; Indiana Equality; It Gets Better Project; Latino Equality Alliance; Latino GLBT History; LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent; Log Cabin Republicans; the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Mass Equality; Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC); MOVILH; National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC); the National Bullying Prevention Center by PACER; the National Council of La Raza (NCLR); National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR); National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE); National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP); the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC); One Colorado; One Iowa; OutFront Minnesota; Out & Equal; OutServe; Palm Beach County Human Rights Council; Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG); Point Foundation; promo; Progress Florida; Reaching Out MBA; Safe Schools of South Florida; SAGE; Save Dade; Sean’s Last Wish;  Service Members Legal Defense Network (SLDN); Straight But Not Narrow; Sun Serve; Sylvia Rivera Law Project; The Task Force; Tennessee Equality Project; Transgender Law Center; Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF); Trans People of Color Coalition (TPCC);Tennessee Equality Project; Trans Ohio; Trans People of Color Coalition; Trans Youth Support Network (TYSN); The Trevor Project; True Colors Fund; Truth Wins Out; The Village Family Services; We Are Family; WikiQueer; and Youth Empowered to Act (YETA) will all participate by wearing purple on October 19, turning their social media channels purple, and encouraging members to participate.

Additional media partners include 495 Productions, The Advocate, AutoStraddle.com, Boy Culture, Diversity News Magazine, Edge Media Network, Frontiers in L.A. Magazine, Gay.com, Gay.net, Here TV, HIV Plus Magazine, HollyScoop.com, HollywoodLife.com, HuffPost Gay Voices, Hulu, Instinct Magazine, JoeMyGod.com, MicahJesse.com, Mombian.com, Next Magazine, OUT, OUT Traveler, Queerty.com, RumorFix.com, Seventeen, The Seattle Lesbian, SheWired.com, Think Progress and The Washington Blade.

This year, more than 50 faith organizations, congregations and synagogues are going purple for Spirit Day. Notable faith leaders like Bishop Gene Robinson, Christian music artist Jennifer Knapp, and YouTube theologian, Matthew Vines have all encouraged their followers to go purple for Spirit Day. Faith-based organizations include the United Church of Christ, the Unitarian Universalist Association, Metropolitan Community Churches, Believe Out Loud, Sojourners, Muslims for Progressive Values, Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, Dignity USA, Fortunate Families, the Church of St. Francis Xavier, Holy Angels Catholic Community, Archdiocese of Los Angeles Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Catholics, Catholic Association for Lesbian and Gay Ministry, Catholic Association of Students for Equality, New Ways Ministry, Keshet, the Institute for Judaism, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Nehirim: GLBT Jewish Culture and Spirituality, Star of Davida, Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, Beth Chayim Chadashim, He’bro, The Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard, Eden Theological Seminary Common Grounds, Auburn Seminary, Affirmation United Methodists, Reconciling Ministries Network, Druid Hills United Methodist Church, Travis Park United Methodist Church, Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry, Pacific School of Religion, Coalition of Welcoming Congregations in the Bay Area, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, More Light Presbyterians, Presbyterian Welcome, Religious Institute: Faithful Voices on Sexuality and Religion, Human Rights Campaign Religion & Faith Program, ReconcilingWorks, St. James Lutheran Church, Journey Fellowship, BJUnity, Canyonwalker Connections, Groundswell, Inside, Owldolatrous, The Evangelical Network, The Marin Foundation, The Naming Project, and LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent. Congregations and faith organizations are encouraged to visit the faith page of the Spirit Day web site (www.glaad.org/spiritday/faith) to participate in Spirit Day.

In 2010, teenager Brittany McMillan called on her friends to wear purple as a way to memorialize those who lost their lives to bullying. With GLAAD’s help, Spirit Day has since garnered widespread support from celebrities, TV news and entertainment programs, corporations, organizations, schools, local communities, and even national landmarks. Spirit Day coincides with GLSEN’s Ally Week, as well as National Bullying Prevention Month.

“Showing support for your friends, family and teachers can make all the difference in the world to young LGBT people, whether they are going through a tough time or not,” said 17-year-old McMillan. “This year, Spirit Day is going to be bigger and better than ever, and I’m so thrilled to be going purple alongside some of my favorite celebrities, as well as millions of others in a united stand against bullying.” For more information visit glaad.org/spiritday

About GLAAD: The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.

Source: GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)

Editor’s Note: Diversity News Magazine, Diversity News Publications and Steven Escobar are proud to be media partners with GLAAD for Spirit Day! (wear purple on Friday, October 19th) http://www.glaad.org/spiritday/media

NBA, WNBA, Major League Soccer, New York Stock Exchange, Los Angeles Unified School District, Facebook join millions to go purple for Spirit Day, 10/19

Spirit Day apps for iPhone and Android mobilize users against bullying, sponsored by Toyota Financial Services. Perez Hilton, Avan Jogia, Shay Mitchell, Shaquille O’Neal, George Takei, Wendy Williams among hundreds of celebrities taking part in anti-bullying effort.
NEW YORK, NY, October 2, 2012 - The National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Women’s Basketball Association (WNBA), Major League Soccer (MLS), the New York Stock Exchange, Times Square and Facebook will join hundreds of celebrities, corporations, news outlets and schools, as well as millions of Americans in wearing purple for Spirit Day on October 19 in a stand against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, GLAAD announced today.

Supporters are encouraged to take the Spirit Day pledge at glaad.org/spiritday

The NBA, WNBA and MLS will participate through their social media channels. The iconic New York Stock Exchange will light up in purple for Spirit Day, and the Thomson Reuters screen in Times Square will turn purple throughout the day on October 19. Facebook will go purple on select national pages and circulate information about Spirit Day to its employees globally.

GLAAD and Toyota Financial Services today also launched the “Go Purple for #SpiritDay powered by Toyota Financial Services” apps for iPhone and Android. The apps provide users with anti-bullying resources, calls to action, and a tool that can turn photos purple and share to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The free apps are now available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. To download, visit: glaad.org/spiritday/app

“Everyone at Toyota Financial Services, and across the Toyota family, is proud and excited to be a part of this year’s Spirit Day,” said Ann Bybee, Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Communications & Community Relations. “Going purple for the day is a small but powerful way we can all show our support for those who have been bullied or who fear being bullied. It is so important to raise awareness that bullying isn’t acceptable. At Toyota, we have always embraced a guiding principle of ‘respect for people,’ which has made us the company we are today. And it is a principle that includes not only our employees and customers, but everyone, without exception.”

GLAAD also launched the ‘19 Days of Action,’ a countdown to Spirit Day that provides supporters with one simple action they can take daily to combat bullying. More information and a list of actions is available atglaad.org/spiritday or on the “Go Purple for #SpiritDay powered by Toyota Financial Services” apps for iPhone and Adroid.

Previously announced participants include TV icon George Takei, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, star of ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars Shay Mitchell, daytime talk show host of The Wendy Williams Show, Wendy Williams, and Nickelodeon’s Avan Jogia, who will join LGBT advocates Jordan Addison, Shane Bitney Crone, Brittany McMillan, Tiq Milan, Janet Mock, Jennifer Tyrrell, and Zach Wahls as Spirit Day Ambassadors.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation’s second largest school district with more than 640,000 students in over 900 schools, will participate by sharing information about Spirit Day with students on its website and through its social media channels. The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) will also participate through social media.

Corporations including AMC Entertainment, AT&T, atelier-lb, Caesars Foundation, Carat, Citi, Delta Air Lines, Draftfcb, Digitas, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard Company, Johnnye’s East Texas Soul, LBNY, Leo Burnett Business, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Marquee Las Vegas, MediaVest, Omnicom Group, Publicis Kaplan Thaler, Publicis Groupe, Saatchi & Saatchi, Southern California Edison, Toyota Financial Services, Warner Bros., Yahoo! and Zenith Optimedia will also participate in Spirit Day. Participating companies will distribute information to employees about wearing purple and/or turn their logo purple on October 19.

Other participating national landmarks include the LAX Pylon Lights and the JFK traffic tower, both of which will turn purple on October 19.

Local and national groups and organizations including the BULLY Project; Campus Pride; CenterLink; Equality Texas; Fair Wisconsin; FriendFactor; Forum for Equality; the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN); GSA Network; Human Rights Campaign (HRC); the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); the National Bullying Prevention Center by PACER; the National Council of La Raza (NCLR); the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC); Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG); Reaching Out MBA; Straight But Not Narrow; The Trevor Project; and Youth Empowered to Act (YETA) will all participate by wearing purple on October 19, turning their social media channels purple, and encouraging members to participate.

In 2010, teenager Brittany McMillan called on her friends to wear purple as a way to memorialize those who lost their lives to bullying. With GLAAD’s help, Spirit Day has since garnered widespread support from celebrities, TV news and entertainment programs, corporations, organizations, schools, local communities, and even national landmarks. Spirit Day coincides with GLSEN’s Ally Week, as well as National Bullying Prevention Month.

“Showing support for your friends, family and teachers can make all the difference in the world to young LGBT people, whether they are going through a tough time or not,” said 17-year-old McMillan. “This year, Spirit Day is going to be bigger and better than ever, and I’m so thrilled to be going purple alongside some of my favorite celebrities, as well as millions of others in a united stand against bullying.”

“By going purple for Spirit Day, millions of Americans are helping to send a clear message that no one should be bullied simply because of who they are,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick.

Among those who participated in 2011: hosts of the Today Show, Good Morning America, Live! With Regis & Kelly, The View, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, and ABC World News; celebrities including Tyra Banks, Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, Ricky Martin, Julianne Moore, and Oprah Winfrey; corporations like AT&T, Goldman Sachs, Facebook, MTV, and NBCUniversal; and national landmarks including Times Square, LAX, and the White House.

About GLAAD: The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.

Editor’s Note: Diversity News Magazine, Diversity News Publications and Steven Escobar are proud to be media partners with GLAAD for Spirit Day! (wear purple on Friday, October 19th) http://www.glaad.org/spiritday/media

Millions Of Americans To Wear Purple On Spirit Day In A Stand Against Bullying On October 19, 2012

Perez Hilton, Avan Jogia, Shay Mitchell, Shaquille O’Neal, George Takei, Wendy Williams join LGBT advocates Jordan Addison, Shane Bitney Crone, Brittany McMillan, Tiq Milan, Janet Mock, Jennifer Tyrrell and Zach Wahls in a national call to action.
AMC Entertainment, AT&T, CNBC, Caesars Foundation, Carat, Citi, Delta Air Lines, Draftfcb, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard Company, The McGraw-Hill Companies, National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Omnicom Group, Publicis Kaplan Thaler, Publicis Groupe, Toyota Financial Services, Warner Bros., and Yahoo! to ‘go purple’ on 10/19.

NEW YORK, NY - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 , Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, Nickelodeon’s Avan Jogia, Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, TV icon George Takei, and daytime talk show host of The Wendy Williams Show, Wendy Williams, will join GLAAD, hundreds of corporations, national landmarks, schools, local communities and millions of Americans in wearing purple for Spirit Day on October 19, 2012 in a stand against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, it was announced today.

Supporters are encouraged to take the Spirit Day Pledge at glaad.org/spiritday

College student Jordan Addison, who recently shared his experience with anti-gay bullying on The Ellen DeGeneres Show; Shane Bitney Crone, whose web video about the tragic death of his partner has garnered millions of views; anti-bullying advocate Brittany McMillan; advocate and writer Tiq Milan; transgender advocate, author of Fish Food: A Memoir and former People.com editor Janet Mock; Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell, who was ousted as leader of her son’s Boy Scouts troop because she’s gay; and Scouts for Equality founder and author of My Two Moms, Zach Wahls will participate alongside Hilton, Jogia, Mitchell, O’Neal, Takei and Williams as Spirit Day Ambassadors.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation’s second largest school district with more than 640,000 students in over 900 schools, will participate by sharing information about Spirit Day with students on its website and through its social media channels. The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) will also participate through social media.

Corporations including AMC Entertainment, AT&T, CNBC, Caesars Foundation, Carat, Citi, Delta Air Lines, Draftfcb, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard Company, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Omnicom Group, Publicis Kaplan Thaler, Publicis Groupe, Toyota Financial Services, Warner Bros., and Yahoo! will also participate in Spirit Day. Participating companies will distribute information to employees about wearing purple and/or turn their logo purple on October 19.

Participating national landmarks include the LAX Pylon Lights and the JFK traffic tower, both of which will turn purple on October 19.

Local and national groups and organizations including the BULLY Project; Campus Pride; FriendFactor; the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN); GSA Network; the National Bullying Prevention Center by PACER; Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG); Reaching Out MBA; Straight But Not Narrow; The Trevor Project; and Youth Empowered to Act (YETA) will all participate by wearing purple on October 19, turning their social media channels purple, and encouraging members to participate.

For a complete list of celebrity participants, media outlets, TV networks, organizations and corporations visit glaad.org/spiritday. Additional participants to be announced.

In 2010, teenager Brittany McMillan called on her friends to wear purple as a way to memorialize those who lost their lives to bullying. With GLAAD’s help, Spirit Day has since garnered widespread support from celebrities, TV news and entertainment programs, corporations, organizations, schools, local communities, and even national landmarks. Spirit Day coincides with GLSEN’s Ally Week, as well as National Bullying Prevention Month.

“Showing support for your friends, family and teachers can make all the difference in the world to young LGBT people, whether they are going through a tough time or not,” said 17-year-old McMillan. “This year, Spirit Day is going to be bigger and better than ever, and I’m so thrilled to be going purple alongside some of my favorite celebrities, as well as millions of others in a united stand against bullying.”

“By going purple for Spirit Day, millions of Americans are helping to send a clear message that no one should be bullied simply because of who they are,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick.

Among those who participated in 2011: hosts of the Today Show, Good Morning America, Live! With Regis & Kelly, The View, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, and ABC World News; celebrities including Tyra Banks, Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, Ricky Martin, Julianne Moore, and Oprah Winfrey; corporations like AT&T, Goldman Sachs, Facebook, MTV, and NBCUniversal; and national landmarks including Times Square, LAX, and the White House.

What is Spirit Day?
Millions of Americans wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. Spirit Day was started in 2010 as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives. Observed annually, individuals, schools, organizations, corporations, media professionals and celebrities wear purple, which symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag. Getting involved is easy — participants are asked to simply “go purple” on October 19th as we work to create a world in which LGBT teens are celebrated and accepted for who they are. Learn more & go purple at www.glaad.org/spiritday.

About GLAAD: The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAADon Facebook and Twitter.

Editor’s Note: Diversity News Magazine, Diversity News Publications and Steven Escobar are proud to be media partners with GLAAD for Spirit Day! (wear purple on Friday, October 19th) http://www.glaad.org/spiritday/media

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