Being a teenager is hard enough as it is — dealing with unending criticism from peers and being bombarded with media telling you how you should feel, how you should act, and who your role models should be. Now imagine experiencing the weight and angst of teenage life, while also wrestling with being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered.
Morgan Wilcock’s 2011 Project VoiceScape Best Documentary Award winner This Gay and Age examines issues facing LGBT youth. Morgan, a 17-year-old Minnesotan, used the film as an opportunity to talk to teens about the media influences and cultural settings that shape the way they experience and think about sexuality. Morgan says, “Television programs, popular songs, and news reports either strongly advocate gay and lesbian expression or suppress it, rarely finding middle ground. Students, as a result, are forced to make drastic decisions about where they stand on the issue, for better or worse.”
Watch This Gay and Age below!
Observed annually on October 20th, Spirit Day encourages people to show their support for LGBT youth, simply by wearing purple. With bullying and LGBT youth suicide being more prevalent in mainstream discourse and media, it is now more important than ever to show your support for teenagers who are wrestling with their sexual orientation. Wearing purple today is a simple way to let LGBT youth know that their voices matter, and that you support them in their bravery to come out and accept themselves for who they are.
For more information about Spirit Day and supporting LGBT youth, check out the GLAAD, The Trevor Project, and It Gets Better websites for how you can get involved. You can also tweet your support by including the #spiritday hashtag.