White House staffers on Thursday were
among the elected and public officials who went purple for Spirit
Day.
Spirit Day supports efforts to combat
the bullying of LGBT teens. Supporters were encouraged to wear
purple on Thursday. Since its inception in 2010, GLAAD has played a
prominent role in promoting Spirit Day.
The White House's official Twitter
account posted a photo of a sea of staffers dressed in purple on the
steps of the old executive office building in Washington, D.C.
“We are all more free when we are
treated as equals,” the White House captioned the photo. “Today,
White House staff stand against bullying and in support of LGBTQ
youth #SpiritDay.”
Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning, who
is openly gay, also tweeted a message of support.
“Proud to go purple on #SpiritDay to
stand up against bullying and support #LGBTQ youth,” Fanning wrote.
Representatives Mike Honda of
California and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida also messaged their
support.
“On #SpiritDay + every day, we should
strive 2 create a safe environment w tolerance + respect 4 all,”
Ros-Lehtinen tweeted.