Spirit Day Looks to Stop Bullying

Thur., Oct. 17th was Spirit Day, and handfuls of people wore purple to show support in the fight against bullying and to show support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and allied (LGBTQA) community at Plymouth State University. "It's easy," said Samantha Kuncio, a sophomore, "all you have to do is wear purple, but it means a lot."
Observed annually on campus since 2010, Spirit Day has become popular on campus, not with just the LGBTQA community, but all students who strive for equality and an environment where people will not be judged not only by their sexual orientation, but appearance and personality as well. "I just feel like no one should feel like they are less than someone else," said Michael Farkas, a senior.
Getting involved was easy. All one had to do was wear purple. Those who wore purple felt they were spreading a message of acceptance, and helping move the community in towards a future of tolerance. "The world is changing," said Ariel Laughton, a senior, "we are living in a much more accepting world than the generation before us."
The color purple was chosen because it stands for "spirit" on the rainbow flag used to symbolize the LBGTQA community. The spirit of the day was acceptance and kindness. "I've been called a dyke while walking down the street on numerous occasions " said senior Deanna Cunningham, "No one should have to go through that, [or] feel that way."
October is Gay Pride Month and Plymouth State University was doing its part to get involved. Wearing purple was the easy part. If acceptance is going to come, students know that it has to be celebrated for more than just one month out of the year. "Spirit Day is great, but we should feel this way every day," said Field Martin, a junior, "Everyone should just be nice to each other all the time."