“You can’t change the way you are or who you fell in love with … We support Uncle Poodle and all the other poodles in the world too.”
— TLC reality star Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson in a statement publicized by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation on Oct. 19, Spirit Day, when people were encouraged to wear purple to oppose anti-LGBT bullying. Alana’s gay Uncle Poodle, aka Lee Thompson, gave an in-depth interview to GA Voice in our Oct. 12 issue. (GLAAD.org, Oct. 19)
“Being gay in the South, people don’t like it. Why? You have homophobes who want to beat you and bully you and name-call you … I am wearing purple today to let every youngster and teen know that is OK to be who you are. Don’t let nobody change that.”
Schools around the country will participate in “Mix It Up At Lunch Day” on Oct. 30. Students are encouraged to talk to other students they would not normally connect with during the day to make new friends outside of their comfort zone.
Originally organized by the Southern Poverty Law Center to combat bullying in school, the day is now the target of a planned protest by the American Family Association, which calls the day a “program designed specifically by SPCL to establish the acceptance of homosexuality into public schools, including elementary and junior high schools.”
The AMA is urging parents to keep their children home on “Mix It Up” day and is also calling on parents to contact their child's school if it is listed as one of the official participants.