Purple is my favorite color.  I have purple clothes, jewelry, coffee mugs, water bottles, and even a beautiful purple purse.  But today I wear purple for a different reason.  Today, I stand in support of gay teens and in memory of those who committed suicide after being bullied or harassed for being gay.

Many teens and adults will wear purple today, and USA Today reports that A Facebook page in honor of the victims shows 1.4 million people say they will take part.  While that is an amazing number, it’s nothing when you realize (or Google as I did) that there are over 310 million people in the United States!

I’m sure that there are many who don’t even know that this is going on today, and there are others who don’t want to support the “lifestyle.”  I for one want to publicly put my support behind this because I never want to hear about another teen taking their own life because of being ridiculed for who they are.

If you happen to be someone who believes that homosexuality is wrong, it is your right to believe that.  But to ridicule a young person who is trying to live their life and discover who they are is despicable!  Going through the teen years is tough enough!

So today, purple takes on a whole new meaning for me, and I hope that the next time you hear someone making a “gay joke” or using gay slurs, you don’t just sit by and let it happen.  Speak up!  If we don’t make changes in our attitude NOW, the next suicide could be your brother, sister, cousin, or friend.

Just my humble opinion…Pebbles

“I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it.” – From The Color Purple