Spirit Day -- Do You Know What It Means?

October 20 was Spirit Day, a day to honor LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transvestite) teens in recent months who have committed suicide due to excessive taunts about their sexuality. The goal of Spirit Day is to raise awareness of harassment against the LGBT community, and hopefully begin putting a stop to it.

This day was organized by a teenage girl from Canada, named Brittany McMillan, who sent out the call to honor recent homosexual suicide victims.

“On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the seven gay boys who committed suicide in recent months, many of them due to homophobic abuse in their homes or at their schools,” Brittany McMillan said in her announcement on her Tumblr account

One of these seven boys is Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University in New Jersey, who jumped off a bridge after another student secretly filmed a "sexual encounter" and posted it live on the Internet. His story has made a big impact on many people, and a Facebook page has been created in his honor.

Spirit Day had a nice turn out here in Sparta High. Many students wore purple on Wednesday, showing their support for raising awareness of harassment against LGBT teens. Mr. Erik Forde's Social Problems class had a discussion about the issue of homosexuality.

"No person, whether you agree or disagree with others, has the right to violate someone else's rights," Forde said when asked about his opinion on the event.

Many feel as though there isn't enough being done to put a stop to the senseless bullying that many LGBT youth face.

"A lot of adults don't do anything to stop it," says Dana Miller, a freshman at Sparta High, "but maybe that's because it wasn't accepted when they were growing up."

However, many may be wondering: Why purple? McMillan has offered an explanation as to why she choose the color purple:
 
“Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transvestite/queer [refers to those who are questioning their sexuality]) flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality.”

Brittany McMillan, the one who put out the call, has started what may perhaps grow into an annual event, such as the Day of Silence held every year around April. Raising awareness is the first step to overcoming any issue in society. The more people know about the issue, the more that can be done to change things.