'The McCarthys' is a new show on CBS set in Boston and revolving around a sports-obsessed Irish-Catholic family. The cast and show is lending its voice to the upcoming Spirit Day, organized by GLAAD.
Spirit Day was originally created in 2010 by teenager Brittany McMillan to show opposition against bullying and solidarity with targets of bullying. Last year saw participation by many of the biggest names in sports, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, WWE and ESPN. This year Outsports will be going purple as well.
'The McCarthys' storyline revolves in part around a gay man who (stereotypically) doesn't know a thing about sports (in fact he calls games on TV it "the sports" and thinks Miami's NBA team is "the Sound Machine"). When his father selects him to be his assistant high school basketball coach, comedy ensues. You can see a preview of the show here. It premieres Oct. 30.
Here's more information about Spirit Day – and be sure to go purple on Thursday, Oct. 16:
Spirit Day, which will take place on October 16, inspires millions to wear purple or ‘go purple' online in a united stand against bullying and to show their support for LGBT youth. Each year, Spirit Day draws the participation of celebrities, corporations, media outlets, sports leagues, schools, faith institutions, national landmarks, and individuals. Spirit Day is made possible by the generous support of its national partners PepsiCo and Wells Fargo, as well as official partner Comcast-NBCUniversal, and supporting partner American Eagle Outfitters.
For more information about Spirit Day, visit glaad.org/spiritday.
Millions wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. Spirit Day was started in 2010 as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives. With GLAAD's help, Spirit Day has since garnered widespread support from celebrities, TV news and entertainment programs, corporations, organizations, schools, local communities, and even national landmarks. Spirit Day coincides with GLSEN's Ally Week, as well as National Bullying Prevention Month.
According to GLSEN's 2011 National School Climate Survey, 63.5% of LGBT students reported feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation, 43.9% because of their gender expression. GLSEN also reported that 81.9% of LGBT students report being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation, and 63.9% because of their gender expression.
Previous Spirit Day participants include The White House, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Shaquille O'Neal, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The View, The Talk, The Tonight Show, the NBA, the NFL, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, the Las Vegas Strip, and more. For more information, visit glaad.org/spiritday
