do you have a purple scarf?

Thursday, October 20, 2011 is Spirit Day! Please wear just a touch of purple to support young people dealing with bullying tomorrow. Sure, it is a bit weird to randomly wear purple as an adult... but, as Dr. Seuss famously said, “life’s a little weird…”. Please go with it by finding an old purple scarf or hat and put it on… By wearing purple tomorrow you are telling young people in our communities that you are a safe person to speak with about their experiences with bullying…

Related Posts

• Religious Voices Supporting Spirit Day (GLAAD.org)
• Facebook’s Going a Little Gay for Spirit Day (mashable.com)
• Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of San Francisco, urging people to go purple (JewishFed.org)
  
• We’re Going Purple on October 20: You Should Too (bilerico.com)
• Put on Some Purple For Spirit Day (bellasugar.com)
• ‘Jersey Shore’ Star Vinny Teams Up With GLAAD (mtv.com)
• Why Facebook, Yahoo & others are celebrating LGBT Spirit Day (venturebeat.com)
• Celebrate Spirit Day on October 20th by wearing purple (queerlandia.com)
• Celebs And Corporations Are Waving Their Spirit Fingers For #SpiritDay! (perezhilton.com)
• Why Did GLAAD Pick Purple As The Color To Wear For Spirit Day? (queerty.com)
• Wear Purple to Support LGBT & Bullying on Spirit Day (997now.radio.com)
• Will you join me and pledge to go purple in support of LGBT youth? (qjew.wordpress.com)

 

Will you join me and pledge to go purple in support of LGBT youth?

Last fall, a young person named Brittany McMillan wanted to do something about the LGBT teens who died by suicide. So she put a call out via a social network for people to wear purple on October 20th in support of LGBT teens and called it spirit day. She thought that only a few hundred at most would wear purple. She never imagined that thousands would respond by wearing purple. But her idea went viral quickly. The cast of Glee dressed up in purple as well as a few of the hosts on The View. Even Anderson Cooper and Dr. Phil got in the purple spirit of spirit day. It was inspiring to see a young person have so much impact.

This year, Brittany is asking the world again to dress in purple. She hopes that the LGBT teens who walk into their classrooms on October 20 to see their teachers and classmates wearing purple will give them a feeling of hope. Again, this year I’m joining Brittany on spirit day by wearing purple. It is such an easy way to help bring hope to young people in our San Francisco Bay Area community. I hope that you also choose to pledge to go purple on October 20 too. Then I hope you will put a call out to your synagogue, school, organization or company to observe Spirit Day as well. Do me a favor, email me at work {lisaf @sfjcf.org} or tag me on facebook with pictures of you dressed in purple so I can continue to create a poster of how our Jewish community dresses up to support LGBT causes.

Together, we can show LGBT teens that they are supported. By pledging to wear purple on October 20, LGBT teens can find you, remember who you are and if they ever need someone to trust in coming out they know you can be a safe advocate and friend to connect with.

What is Spirit Day? How can you celebrate LGBT Teens in your Jewish community? Learn more.

Related articles

• LGBT Teen Suicide (somegirlslikegirls.wordpress.com)
• Cyndi Lauper Opens Homeless Shelter for LGBT Youth (inquisitr.com)
• Mayor Declares Stand Up Against Bullying Week! (queerdallas.com)
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Teens and Stress (teens.webmd.com)
• Top 10 LGBT Websites and Blogs (qjew.wordpress.com)
• MTV Special for gay youth! (queerlandia.com)

During a gathering at the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) LGBT Advocate, Jessica Trubowitch, with Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) speaks with another proud LGBT San Francisco Jewish leader, Rebecca Prozan!

Me with another proud 2010 Spirit Day supporter, LGBT Jewish leader, Jamie Wolfe at the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum!

 

sweetness follows

we of course, all witnessed the seas of political activists empowered to change their worlds this past year. as we approach the jewish high holidays this evening, i stop for a moment to revisit some of the more local advances and news that i witnessed this past year.

overall folks within my community seemed to mostly agree with natalie portman in not wanting anything to do with john galliano. we wrestled through a few of the more challenging conversations with courtesy from tony kushner’s views on israel to ballot measures seeking to outlaw circumcision. we saw the demise of don’t ask don’t tell celebrated in the streets and hardly had time to pay attention to a new state law created by jewish gay leader, mark leno that requires lgbt history be taught in california textbooks. within a more hyper-local perspective we celebrated everything out and proud about gertrude stein, marched to honor 30-years of AIDS activism, watched allen ginsberg howl on-screen and sang our good-byes to both elizabeth taylor and debbie friedman.

still thinking locally, it has been a great year for many of our outstanding lgbt jewish leaders to shine. just to name two of the many deserving leaders, roberta achtenberg, was appointed as the first lesbian to the federal civil rights post and bevan dufty, whom if elected in november, would be san francisco’s first gay (and possibly third jewish) mayor. while we still can’t beat the reputation of states like new york that decided everyone can get hitched there this year we did just learn that our dear city of san francisco did not loose first place in hosting the highest concentration of gay and lesbian couples over the past decade.

at my synagogue, congregation sha’ar zahav, i participated with 40 other members in the year of civil discourse and learned together through the training how to disagree with people i respect but don’t always want to listen to. on a even more personal note i moved once again back into the castro.

as i am approaching my own sense of sweetness on this last day of the Jewish month of elul 5771, i pause to remember that not everyone’s life is so full of honey right now. this morning i watched with sadness as alyssa rodemeyer, the sister of jamey rodemeyer, discussed the continued bullying of her late brother after he took his own life this last week at the age of 14. it made me realize that we still have a lot of work to do together. i look forward to seeing what sweetness we can create together in community in 5772.

Related articles

• Alyssa Rodemeyer Talks About Continued Bullying Of Late Brother Jamey (lezgetreal.com)
• Jewish New Year Brings New Music (npr.org)
• Hundreds Attend 14-Year-old Who Committed Suicide, Jamey Rodemeyer’s Funeral (perezhilton.com)
• Jamey Rodemeyer’s Sister Talks About the ‘We’re Glad You’re Dead’ Chants at Homecoming Dance: VIDEO (towleroad.com)
• Celebrating life, legacy and 5 foot tall lesbians (qjew.wordpress.com)
• Gay Ugandan refugee finds home in Jewish Bay Area (qjew.wordpress.com)
• PHOTOS: Gay Jews And Pals Party Like It’s 5772 For Rosh Hashanah (queerty.com)
• Obama, Rick Perry, others greet the Jewish New Year (thehill.com)
• Lady Gaga towers over Obama fundraiser in Northern California (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
• Curve Magazine Calls Bevan Dufty an International Supergay (blogs.sfweekly.com)
• Big Girls, Small Kitchen: The 9 Best Jewish Dishes For The High Holidays (huffingtonpost.com)
• One Drop of Honey Sweeter Than The Last (beittshuvah.wordpress.com)
• Curve Magazine Calls Bevan Dufty an International Supergay (blogs.sfweekly.com)
• Big Girls, Small Kitchen: The 9 Best Jewish Dishes For The High Holidays (huffingtonpost.com)
• One Drop of Honey Sweeter Than The Last (beittshuvah.wordpress.com)

 

getting better

 By Steven Philp It has been one month since the suicides of ten LGBT teens prompted a national debate on the adverse effects of homophobic bullying in our schools. One of the more positive results of this dialogue has been the It Gets Better Project. Started by advice columnist Dan Savage, this initiative has grown rapidly through videos submissions, lectures, and rallies. The message is that–although it may be difficult at the moment–life does g … Read More