Laverne Cox to Speak at Spirit Day in South Carolina

Charleston, SC, October 03, 2013 --(PR.com)-- On October 17, 2013, Laverne Cox, a transgender advocate and actress on the hit Netflix series, “Orange is the New Black” will speak at the fourth annual “Spirit Day “ rally and candle light vigil at the College of Charleston Physicians Auditorium. The rally is free and open to the public. Participants are asked to wear purple in a stand against bullying and to show support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth.

Each year since 2010, We Are Family has hosted a “Spirit Day” event to support LGBT youth and to take a stand against bullying. This year, We Are Family has partnered with the College of Charleston Cougar Activities Board, the College of Charleston Office of Institutional Diversity, and the College of Charleston Women’s and Gender Studies program to welcome Laverne Cox, who grew up a transgender youth in the South. Cox is among the first transgender women to have a role on a high-profile, scripted television series.

We Are Family chose to focus on gender identity for Spirit Day this year because issues affecting transgender youth have been largely absent from the public discourse on LGBT bullying. “In my experience working with LGBT youth, transgender students face the most hostile environments,” said We Are Family Executive Director, Melissa Moore. “Schools could alleviate much of the transphobic bullying on campus by simply having accessible, gender-neutral bathrooms.”

The 2011 Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) National School Climate Survey found that 80% of transgender high school students felt unsafe at school because of their gender expression.

In addition to Cox’s keynote address, the rally will include speeches by intersex youth, Devi Raheja, transgender youth, Sera Guerry and her mother Amy, and Amy Garbati, Director of Charleston Area Transgender Support and the SC Equality TransAction network. The program will also feature a musical performance by Megan Jean and the KFB.

Cox will be available for interviews from 4-5p on October 17. The College of Charleston department of Women’s and Gender Studies will host a student meet and greet from 5-6p. The rally will run form 6-8p.

We Are Family will host a post-rally VIP reception and fundraiser with Laverne Cox from 8-10p at Michael Mitchell Interiors in downtown Charleston. There will be a musical performance by Megan Jean and the KFB, beer and wine, and food provided by Mosaic. A suggested donation of $100 secures a spot at the event. However, space is limited to only 50 people. For more information, contact Melissa Moore at info@waf.org.

Cox will join a multitude of celebrities signing on in support for Spirit Day. MTV talent including Ke$ha, Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi and Jenni ‘JWOWW’ Farley from ‘Snooki and JWOWW,’ and Nev Schulman and Max Joseph from ‘Catfish: The TV Show’; trans athlete and advocate Kye Allums; openly gay basketball player Jason Collins; the cast of TeenNick's 'Degrassi'; celebrity radio host Elvis Duran; WNBA player Brittney Griner; 12 year-old transgender advocate and star of 'I am Jazz: A family in transition' Jazz; Archie Comics' Kevin Keller; Extra Host Maria Menounos; country music artist Kacey Musgraves will join GLAAD; and Spanish-language talk show host Cristina Saralegui, hundreds of corporations, national landmarks, schools, local communities and millions of Americans in wearing purple and 'going purple' online for Spirit Day on October 17, 2013, in a stand against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth, it was announced today. Celebrity participants announced today will serve as Spirit Day Ambassadors for the 2013 campaign, helping to bring Spirit Day and positive messages of support to LGBT youth everywhere.

Each year, millions of people from all across the globe wear purple on "Spirit Day" in a stand against bullying and to show their support for LGBT youth. Spirit Day draws the participation of celebrities, media outlets, corporations, sports leagues, faith groups, schools, local communities and even national landmarks. For more information about Spirit Day, visit www.glaad.org/spiritday

We Are Family hosts a group for LGBT and straight ally youth every Tuesday night from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Meeting House at Circular Congregational Church. For more information, visit www.waf.org.