Spiritday #Spiritday Take a Stand Take a Stand Against Bullying

Home , Kerry Washington

#spiritday #spiritday take a stand take a stand against bullying. against bullying. 10.17.2013ay go purple. ay go purple. glaad.org/spiritd glaad.org/spiritd

On October 17, 2013, millions of Americans will wear purple on Spirit Day in a stand against bullying and This kit will help you engage the in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender participation of your friends, colleagues, local media and public (LGBT) youth. GLAAD is once again leading outreach officials. By spreading the word to engage the participation of individuals, celebrities, about Spirit Day, you can help corporations, media outlets, schools, local communities turn your local community purple and even national landmarks. By going purple on Spirit in a stand against bullying and in a Day, participants can easily demonstrate their support show of support for LGBT youth. for the LGBT community simply by wearing purple. How Can I How Can I Encourage Participate? Community Participation?

1. Pledge to go purple: Take the Spirit 1. Wear purple at your job, operation and on social media. Day pledge right now at in school, at church, or just Encourage local media outlets to www.glaad.org/spiritday and then wear around town. Tell people why cover an event for Spirit Day or purple on October 17 in a stand against you are wearing purple, share pitch a story to them that raises bullying. Encourage members of your the history and awareness of bullying community to do the same. message of Spirit “I ‘M going and issues faced by Day, and ask purple for LGBT youth. 2. Go purple online: Turn your those around you Spirit Day in a 3. Hold an event for Facebook and Twitter profile pictures to participate by stand against purple. Use GLAAD’s tool here: wearing purple in Spirit Day at your local www.glaad.org/spiritday a stand against bullying and community center, your bullying. to show my college campus, or 3. Share your support: Post a photo support for another public area. of yourself in your Spirit Day purple 2. Contact local LGBT youth.” Encourage attendees to to Facebook or Twitter using hashtag businesses and wear purple and center #SpiritDay. Suggested tweet: Join me in organizations, the event on raising wearing purple for #SpiritDay to support and ask them to support awareness about a local issue LGBT youth. Go purple here: Spirit Day and LGBT youth by pertaining to LGBT youth or www.glaad.org/spiritday going purple at their place of bullying. How Did Spirit Day Begin? w Spirit Day was started in 2010 by high school student Brittany McMillan as a way to show support for LGBT youth and take a stand against bullying. With GLAAD’s help, millions of teachers, workplaces, media personalities and students wore purple, a color that symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag.

go purple on October 17, 2013. more info at: www.glaad.org/spiritday #spiritday #spiritday take a stand take a stand against bullying. against bullying. 10.17.2013ay go purple. ay go purple. glaad.org/spiritd glaad.org/spiritd

ENGAGE YOUR ScHOOL Ask your school or university to take part in Spirit Day by encouraging students to wear purple on October 17 in a stand against bullying. You can copy and paste the text below, and send the letter to your school’s principal, chancellor, dean or student government body.

[DATE] corporations like AT&T, Goldman Sachs, Facebook, MTV, and NBC Universal; and national landmarks Dear [SCHOOL OR UNIVERSITY CONTACT]: including Times Square, LAX and even the White House. On October 17, 2013, millions of Americans will wear purple on Spirit Day in a stand against bullying This year, Spirit Day is poised to be bigger and better and to show their support for lesbian, gay bisexual than ever, with hundreds more notables signing on, and transgender (LGBT) youth. including student clubs, universities and entire school districts. Will you join us by observing Spirit Day on October 17 and help show LGBT students the support Today, 8 out of 10 LGBT students experiences they so critically need? harassment while at school. By inviting students, administrators, and teachers to participate in Spirit Conceptualized in 2010 by a high school student Day, we can send a strong message of support to wanting to memorialize those who lost their lives to [SCHOOL OR UNIVERSITY NAME]’s LGBT and allied bullying, Spirit Day has since garnered widespread students, while taking a firm stand against bullying. support from schools, local communities, celebrities, TV news and entertainment programs, corporations, Participation is simple, but its impact is tremendous. organizations, and even national landmarks. For more information, or to see who else is Among those who participated in 2012: Access participating, visit www.glaad.org/spiritday Hollywood, CNBC, CNN, E! News, Fox News, Good Morning America, Live! with Kelly and Michael, With gratitude for your service, MSNBC, TODAY, and Watch What Happens Live; celebrities including Ben Affleck, Lance Bass, Chelsea [YOUR NAME] Clinton, Jimmy Kimmel, Demi Lovato, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, and Kerry Washington; Signature

ENGAGE PUBLIC OFFICIALS

Ask your local public officials to take part in Spirit Day by going purple on October 17 in a stand against bullying. You can copy and paste the text below, and send the letter to your city’s mayor, city council, or even state congressional representatives.

[DATE] This year, Spirit Day is poised to be bigger and better than ever, with hundreds more notables signing on. Dear [Name of public official]: Even the Las Vegas Strip is turning purple.

On October 17, 2013, millions of Americans will Will you join us to send an affirming message to wear purple on Spirit Day in a stand against bullying America’s youth and help put a stop to the bullying? and to show their support for lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. Whether it’s sharing information about Spirit Day on your official blog, turning your Facebook or Conceptualized in 2010 by a high school student Twitter photos purple, or simply encouraging your wanting to memorialize those who lost their lives to colleagues and constituents to wear purple on 10/17, bullying, Spirit Day has since garnered widespread participating is easy – but its impact is tremendous. support from celebrities, TV news and entertainment programs, corporations, organizations, schools, local By going purple on Spirit Day, you will stand in solidarity communities, and even national landmarks like the with millions of Americans, while letting countless young White House. people know it’s okay to be who you are.

Among those who participated in 2012: Access For more information, or to see who else is Hollywood, CNBC, CNN, E! News, Fox News, participating, visit www.glaad.org/spiritday Good Morning America, Live! with Kelly and Michael, MSNBC, TODAY, and Watch What Happens Live; With gratitude for your service, celebrities including Ben Affleck, Lance Bass, Chelsea Clinton, Jimmy Kimmel, Demi Lovato, Alana “Honey Boo [YOUR NAME] Boo” Thompson, and Kerry Washington; corporations like AT&T, Goldman Sachs, Facebook, MTV, and NBC Signature Universal; and national landmarks including Times Square, LAX and even the White House.

SAMPLE PITCH Use the template below to contact your local print and broadcast news outlets. Be sure to include information about a local angle, such as a list of those people in your community that will be participating in Spirit Day.

Subject: Join millions and go purple for Possible ways you can participate: anti-bullying on 10/17 • Publish or broadcast a story about Spirit Day, with Dear [NAME] information about local participants including [LIST OF PARTICIPANTS IN YOUR AREA] On October 17, millions of Americans will once again • Ask anchors to wear purple on air and share with wear purple on Spirit Day in a stand against bullying viewers why your outlet supports Spirit Day. and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual • Turn your website’s logo purple and/or turn your and transgender youth. Spirit Day is the largest, most Facebook and Twitter profile pictures purple (Tool visible anti-bullying campaign for LGBT youth in the here: www.glaad.org/spiritday) country. • Share information about Spirit Day with your audience through social media channels Would [OUTLET NAME] like to participate by going • This year, Spirit Day is poised to be bigger and purple and sharing information about Spirit Day on better than ever, with dozens more notables 10/17/13? participating. Additionally, hundreds of celebrities are expected to take part again this year. Since 2010, Spirit Day has garnered the participation of hundreds of celebrities, TV personalities, media For more ways to participate, or for more information, outlets, companies, schools, local communities please visit www.glaad.org/spiritday and even national landmarks. Among those who participated in 2012 are hosts of the Today Show, Together, we can help put an end to bullying and let Good Morning America, The View, Live with Regis every young person know it’s okay to be who you are. & Kelly; celebs like Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Ricky Martin, and Julianne Moore; media [YOUR NAME] outlets like E!, CNN, NBCUniversal, and MTV; corporations including Facebook and MTV; and national landmarks like Times Square, LAX, and even the White House.

ENGAGE LOCAL TV AND RADIO You can help spread the message of Spirit Day by reaching out to your local TV news stations and letting reporters know why you and millions of Americans are going purple on October 17. Here are some ways you can craft a story, pitch it to a broadcast outlet, and ensure that your Spirit Day activities get the spotlight they need to affect change.

• Local news broadcasts often air human interest- • Next, email or call the outlet(s) you chose. Contact driven pieces, so sharing a unique story about your producers, segment producers, news producers and personal stance against bullying and the work being assignment editors first, and know that you may need done in your community to create an inclusive and to try many departments before reaching the right affirming environment for all people will grab a person. If you know of a reporter that has covered journalist’s attention. Spirit Day previously, contact them and gauge whether they are willing to follow up on their previous work. • Frame your story in a way that appeals to media Ideally, your story will air on or close to Spirit Day, so outlets. This will help them see why your story is contact programs as far in advance of their production newsworthy. You can focus on an event you’re holding time as possible to better your chances of air time. for Spirit day and why you are holding it, or tie the Newsroom contact information is usually located on day’s message of acceptance to an issue in your the outlet’s website. community that speaks to local interests. • If you or people who are part of your story will be • A ‘pitch’ – the way you package your story for the interviewed, prepare yourself and everyone else with media – should be informative, interesting, and straight-forward and engaging talking points about brief. Journalists and reporters will be working the history of Spirit Day, what it involves, why you on a deadline, so make yourself available by are participating, and what others can do to join the providing contact information and having your effort to end bullying. Remember that the media is a message prepared. (See a sample pitch on p.4) microphone for your message to reach others, so speak to the audience and not the interviewer. For example: • Once you have a pitch together, choose the broadcast “I am wearing purple for Spirit Day in a stand against outlet(s) you want to contact. Do your research by bullying and to show my support for all young people.” watching a few episodes of a given program to see if and how they handle issues like bullying or the LGBT • Televised stories have a visual component, and having community, or identify the outlets you have previously your purple as visible as possible will draw viewers’ seen cover these topics. Find out if the station has attention. Wear purple, have purple signs, etc. covered Spirit Day before. Outlets with a record of fair, accurate and inclusive reporting are the best place to • Once your story has aired, follow up with the start pitching your story. reporter and producers, and thank them for helping you share the message of Spirit Day. Your professionalism and gratitude can open doors for future coverage of LGBT stories.

ENGAGE LOCAL NEWSPAPERS On October 17, Americans may find their favorite print news outlets going purple with articles and stories about Spirit Day and the movement to counter bullying of LGBT youth. You can help make this happen by reaching out to print media, pitching a well-framed story, and urging your community to go purple and take part in Spirit Day. Below are the tools you’ll need to effectively communicate your ideas to journalists and ensure that your message reaches your community.

• Print media tend to give stories a longer, more in- to your story if possible, or reach out to assignment depth platform, so consider how you can show as editors and section editors. Small community papers many dimensions of Spirit Day as possible in your may have a busier staff – be patient, persistent, and story. This might mean mentioning why Spirit Day offer to help anyway you can. is important to different facets of your community, or • Respect deadlines by contacting outlets at by detailing the different ways that individuals and appropriate times. For daily newspapers, reach out in institutions can get involved. the morning before reporters are on deadline for the • If you are submitting an op-ed, or guest opinion following day’s stories. Earlier in the day and earlier piece, follow all guidelines provided by the news in the week are best. Weekly newspapers have more outlet (usually provided on the outlet’s website). predictable news cycles, so do your research and Generally, op-eds are 500-800 words, provide contact your chosen outlet(s) with enough advance to an intriguing opinion on a current topic or secure space for your story. inform about a neglected topic, and contain a • If you are being interviewed for a print outlet, have personalized message. Include relevant facts, but your message prepared with concise and punchy avoid an impersonal or alarmist tone. This is a great talking points that explain what Spirit Day is, why and opportunity to discuss issues like bullying and the how you are participating, and how others can get needs of LGBT youth, which demand attention. involved. Tie the day to a relevant local issue around • When pitching your story to a reporter or editor, be LGBT youth or bullying, if possible. Though it is print brief, informative, and engaging. Confidently state news, you should condense your message into sound why Spirit Day matters and convey why your particular bites that readers will digest easily and remember. piece or story is newsworthy. If pitching an event you • After your piece runs, follow up with the reporter(s) want covered by print news, focus your attention on and editor(s) you worked with and thank them for the ‘who, what, when, where and why,’ with little helping to spread the message of Spirit Day. Your extraneous information. (See a sample pitch on p.4) professionalism and gratitude can open doors for • Look at past coverage of Spirit Day, LGBT issues, or future coverage of LGBT stories. youth and bullying by the outlet(s) you plan to pitch. Was their coverage fair, accurate and inclusive? The outlet(s) with such coverage are the best place to start. Contact reporters who have covered issues relevant

go purple on October 17, 2013. more info at: www.glaad.org/spiritday