Facebook, Yahoo, HP 'go gay' on Oct 20

Social networking giant Facebook and other tech firms are going purple on Spirit Day on October 20, as a show of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. In a post, Facebook Safety encouraged the public to wear purple on Spirit Day, an unofficial holiday to honor six boys who took their lives after suffering homophobic abuse. "On Thursday, Oct. 20, we encourage you to wear purple as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. At Facebook Safety, we will celebrate Spirit Day by changing our profile picture to purple. What will you do?" Facebook Safety said. Origins of 'Spirit Day' The website Current.com said "Spirit Day" is an unofficial holiday set up by some Facebook members to honor the six who took their own lives due to homophobic abuse. In an article marking the first "Spirit Day" on Oct. 20, 2010, it said the occasion will honor those who "could not live with the pain and torment over the years." A separate article on VentureBeat.com noted Facebook has a history of working with the LGBT community on larger issues, "particularly since last year’s rash of news-making suicides related to the bullying of homosexual teens and young adults." It noted many of the largest and most powerful properties online perceived an obligation to put a stop to such behavior, as much of this bullying takes place online. “Facebook believes in addressing safety issues proactively — and building a trusted environment is fundamental to our mission and to ensuring a positive experience for people who use our site," Facebook representative Andrew Noyes told VentureBeat in an email. Anti-bullying campaigns such as It Gets Better and MTV’s A Thin Line were sparked last fall in response to the issue of online anti-gay behavior. Awareness around and responses to online bullying, especially on Facebook, has dramatically increased since last year, Venturebeat said. LGBT Network of Support VentureBeat quoted Facebook's Noyes as saying Facebook convened last month a meeting of its LGBT Network of Support at Facebook headquarters to mark the one-year anniversary of the group’s formation. He said the panel, comprised of leading LGBT advocacy organizations, was formed in October 2010 in the wake of several high-profile LGBT bullying incidents and suicides. "Since that time, our Network of Support has served in a consultative capacity to help Facebook effectively address issues faced by the LGBT community," he said. Facebook’s Network of Support includes organizations such as GLAAD, GLSEN, HRC, PFLAG and the Trevor Project. The social network also launched the app "Stop Bullying: Speak Up" social pledge with Time Warner. This app helps teachers, students and parents make personal commitments to help stop bullying and to get others to join them. “More than 80,000 people have taken the pledge, and more than 800,000 people have liked the Stop Bullying: Speak Up Facebook page," said Noyes. He added Facebook also worked with Time Warner and CNN on an Anderson Cooper 360° Town Hall special on bullying, which premiered last October 9. For Spirit Day, Facebook is distributing Spirit Day information to its staff members worldwide, while its Facebook Diversity and Facebook Safety pages will also turn purple for the day. Yahoo, HP, AT&T, Comcast, Viacom Yahoo will hold photo shoots on Spirit Day around its U.S. offices, and the company promoted Spirit Day on its blog and the Yahoo Pride Facebook fan page. AT&T will send information to its 260,000 employees to encourage them to wear purple on Spirit Day, and the company’s headquarters will be lit in purple on the 20th. Hewlett-Packard, Comcast and Viacom are distributing Spirit Day information to employees, VentureBeat said. — TJD, GMA News