Jill Zarin, star of Bravo's Real
Housewives of New York City, has announced she'll wear purple on
Spirit Day in support of gay teens.
“I will be wearing purple this
Wednesday,” Zarin said.
The campaign encourages people to wear
purple and turn their Twitter and Facebook profiles purple to
remember gay teens who have been bullied to death.
“No child should be the victim of
bullying, and as parents, we need to teach our children that everyone
deserves to be accepted for who they are,” Zarin added.
The grassroots campaign has its roots
in social media. Nearly a million and a half people at the Facebook
event page R.I.P.;;
In memory of the recent suicides due to gay abuse, wear purple
have signaled their participation. A second event page, Spirit
Day, A GLOBAL Day of Remembering, has also attracted
thousands.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD) is
also urging people to turn their Facebook and Twitter photos purple.
“I will be wearing purple on Spirit
Day,” Jarrett Barrios, president of GLAAD, said in a statement.
“The tragic suicides of our youth have started an important
dialogue among Americans about the dangers of bullying, and now is
the time to show our children that millions of Americans accept and
value them regardless of their sexual orientation or gender
identity.”