Are you wearing purple today?

I am proudly wearing purple today! Are you??
Today is Purple Day at Tigard High, sponsored by the Gay-Straight Alliance. We're joining with teens and others across the country in remembering young people who have committed suicide as a result of homophobic bullying.
The GSA club put out these facts from a 2009 study by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network:

* Nearly one-third of LGBT students reported skipping a class at least once in the past month because they feel unsafe at school.

* 86% of LGBT students were verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their perceived sexual orientation; 67% were harassed were acting "too masculine" or "too feminine".

* The average GPA for LGBT students who were frequently harassed because of their sexual orientation/gender expression was significantly lower than that of LGBT students who experienced less harassment.

* Most LGBT students who are harassed or assaulted in school did not report the incident to school staff. The most common reason they gave for not reporting was that they believed staff would not do anything about it.

This is not OK. ALL students have the right to feel safe at school - no matter the circumstances.