Spirit Day

Goths often get bullied as teenagers because we dress different, we may be shy or introverted, we might not play sports or be into the same things as other kids, and we generally don't fit in with the mainstream. If you're the only kid at your school interested in goth fashion and music, you can feel awfully left out and isolated, and you're a ripe target for bullying.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender kids have it even worse in school. They can be the subject of intense and very cruel bullying. There is some overlap between LGBT teens and goths, of course, and picked-on kids may tend to hang out together for support.

In the past year, the suicides of LGBT kids due to bullying has gotten some much-needed media attention, and resulted in the It Gets Better Project. While primarily for an LGBT audience, the messages of hope and reminders that you can live through school-year bullying are relevant to all outcast teens.

Another response to these tragedies is Spirit Day, October 20, when everyone is encouraged to wear purple to show support for stopping bullying in schools. It's a small thing, and obviously it's best done in conjunction with giving time to a local group or donating to an organization like the Trevor Project.

My employer, Yahoo!, encouraged people to wear purple today at all our offices (you can see a photo on Y!'s Facebook page -- I'm in there somewhere ;-). This is our brand color, but also, Yahoo! has a long history of supporting LGBT issues. It's scored 100% on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign for the past four years, and Yahoo! has supported many LGBT charities in the communities where we have offices.

I wore purple today both because I'm a Yahoo and to support awareness of bullying and the fight to stop it. I was picked on as a teenager because of my gothiness. I was also called "dyke" because I had a girlfriend. But I was lucky that my parents, teachers, and friends were supportive and encouraged me to be who I was. For kids who don't necessarily have family and friends behind them, I hope they find the Trevor Project, which is doing amazing work in supporting teens in trouble. I hope all kids will realize it does get better when they grown up.

What I'm wearing:
Purple top with leg o' mutton style sleeves, bought in London
Black velvet skirt with satin underskirt, Spiegel, gift from Lisa
Purple & black vertically striped tights, unknown brand
Black T-strap wedge heels, Kenneth Cole, thrifted
Black skull scarf, gift from my husband
Purple dangly earrings with bats painted on them, local artist
Purple lipstick, Make Up Forever Professional #14