Guest post by Paige Worthy, a Chicago-based freelance writer and editor.

Early last month, I heard some conversations on Twitter about a cause called Spirit Day, which would take place on Wednesday, Oct. 20.

Here’s the gist, from GLAAD’s website:

The idea behind Spirit Day, first created by teenager Brittany McMillan earlier this month…can be summed up in three words: Everyone Rally Together.

It’s…a way to show the hundreds of thousands of LGBT youth who face…pressures and bullying that there is a vast community of people who support them.

Purple symbolizes “spirit” on the rainbow flag.

As one of the event’s Facebook pages says: “This event is not a seminar nor is it a rally. There is NO meeting place. All you have to do is wear purple.”

I wore purple that day. I even blogged about it.

A ton of celebrities were behind the cause. The effort stemmed directly from tragic current events that have been covered heavily by the national media. The whole thing is pretty ironclad, from the meaning behind the color to the targeted message of support and solidarity.

But a lot of people didn’t get the memo. My mother, a bunch of like-minded people on Facebook, even my very compassionate therapist had never even heard about it — and they would have supported the cause whole-heartedly. I’m lucky to be connected with a diverse group of people through Facebook and Twitter, so I take my heightened awareness for granted. (more…)