Honey Boo Boo Spirit Day: Dons Purple in Support of LGBT Youth
Alana Thompson, aka 'Honey Boo Boo', is taking part in Spirit Day today, where millions of Americans wear purple to speak out against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people. The child reality star, who has an openly gay 'Uncle Poodle', will be joining other Spirit Day supporters such as Ricky Martin, Dianna Agron, Snooki, JWoww, and more.
Lee Thompson, who is called 'Uncle Poodle' by Honey Boo Boo, told GLAAD how it is like to be gay in the South. "Being gay in the South, people don't like it," Thompson said. "Why? You have homophobes that wanna beat you, and bully you, and name-call you, and hurt you in any kind of way."
Thompson said he was the target of hate while growing up in Milledgeville, Ga. "But I have a family that stands by me, supports me," he said. "I'm wearing purple today to let every youngster and every teen know it is okay to be who you are. Don't let nobody change that."
Honey Boo Boo's mother Mama June recently told E!: "We've always supported gay people, even long before the show started. We didn't just do it because we have the show. Some people are kind of scared-what you'd call homophobes-but everyone knew Sugar Bear had a gay brother. It's not a big deal."
Spirit Day started in 2010 in memory of the youth who have taken their lives.
An app has been launched by GLAAD and Toyota Financial Services called the "Go Purple for #SpiritDay powered by Toyota Financial Services". The app provides users with anti-bullying resources, calls to action, and a tool that can turn photos purple and share to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
