Get Loud for Young LGBTQ+ Americans on Spirit Day
By Kosoko Jackson
Every year, we celebrate Spirit Day — an opportunity to speak out against bullying, harassment, and wear purple to show our solidarity with young queer people.
This year especially, it’s more important than ever that we get loud for LGBTQ+ equality. And we, young people, the largest voting bloc in America, have the power to do it.
To put it simply: this year has been a clusterfuck. We’ve seen fresh attacks on equality from the Administration and their allies who don’t share our values of love and respect — from Betsy DeVos trying to roll back protections for queer students to Jeff Sessions supporting discrimination against trans employees to President Trump attacking brave trans service members — it’s important that we speak out and stand up for justice and equality.
As the largest, most diverse generation in history, we have the power to create real change when we come together. When young queer people and allies work together, we can resist attacks on our community and achieve full equality. That’s why it’s important to stand up and fight for queer youth on Spirit Day — and every other day of the year.
Spirit Day is about getting loud for equality, getting loud for diversity, getting loud for young queer people. Join Rock the Vote in taking the #SpiritDay pledge to tell queer youth we’ve got their backs!
But fighting for equality and respect isn’t a once-a-year job. Here’s what else you can do:
- Elect leaders at the state and local levels who will fight for equality and work to prevent bullying and harassment in our schools and our communities.
- Find out where your elected officials stand on supporting young queer Americans. If they don’t share your values, you have the power to replace them!
- Attend town halls — The U.S. House of Representatives and many state legislatures are in recess right now, so your reps might be having townhalls in your area. Find a Town Hall near you. Don’t forget that school boards and city councils also play an important part in keeping our communities inclusive and safe.
It’s up to us to stand up against bullying and fight for our queer friends. It’s up to us to remind elected officials that we won’t let attacks against queer youth stand, and we’ll stay loud until we achieve full equality for all.
