The Gay-Straight Alliance turned Hoffman purple for Spirit Day on October 15th.

Spirit Day began in 2010. After the suicides of several LGBT+ teens, Brittany McMillan, a high school student, worked with GLAAD to commemorate and remember young people who committed suicide as a result of bullying.

Specifically, Spirit Day is meant to support and raise awareness for LGBT+ teens who experience bullying. The statistics are staggering; of LGBT+ students, forty nine percent report experiencing cyber bullying.

About fifty seven percent of LGBT+ students did not report the  bullying because they doubted intervention. Spirit Day aims to make LGBT+ students feel safe  and reduce the bullying they face.

Spirit Day uses the color purple for participators to show support. People can turn their social media photos purple or wear purple, so Hoffman organized a purple-out for Spirit Day.

The GSA also distributed purple and rainbow ribbons for students to pin to their lanyards to show their support.

To learn more on how to show support, students can visit glaad.org/spiritday/ for more information.