A gay teen is calling on President
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to wear purple next Friday in support of
Spirit Day.
Katy Butler, the Ann Arbor, Michigan
teen who led a protest against the Motion Picture Association of
America's (MPAA) decision to give the documentary film Bully
an R rating, on Wednesday launched her petition asking for the
presidential candidates' support.
Wearing purple on Spirit Day signifies
support for troubled gay teens who have been bullied.
“I am asking President Barack Obama
and Governor Mitt Romney, who is from my home state of Michigan, to
wear purple on October 19th for Spirit Day,” Butler, a
Spirit Day ambassador, wrote in her petition.
“If both of these influential men
participate by simply wearing purple it will show LGBT teens like me
that there are powerful people who care about us. I know what it's
like to feel alone, and seeing two of our country's political leaders
show that they care about our lives could make a huge difference to
LGBT students, who are 3-5 times more likely to experience depression
and attempt suicide than their counter parts. Barack Obama and Mitt
Romney could take a big step towards ending that feeling of
isolation,” she added.
As of Wednesday night, more
than 1,700 people had joined the petition.