GLAAD has added another children’s book to its inventory, and just in time for Spirit Day! Spirit Day: A Book About Spreading Joy encourages children to join the national movement to raise awareness and stand up for bullying.

The book tells its readers to put on a purple shirt and stand with their friends to make everyone feel safe. “Try to keep an open mind because no two people are the same,” the book states. “Everyone should feel safe to be themselves.”

Spirit Day is a worldwide campaign founded in 2010 and operated by GLAAD that encourages millions around the world to take a stand against bullying show their support for LGBTQ youth. Take the pledge here to go purple on October 17.

But that’s not all! We have more for you to catch up on below, including people who shared their stories for Bi+Week and GLAAD’s response to Mattel’s gender-inclusive doll line.

How a New Class of Trans Male Actors Are Changing the Face of Television Alex Schmider, Associate Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD, talked to Time magazine about a new wave of transgender men on television. Alex says: “Trans men and nonbinary people have largely been invisible on television. Historically, I don’t recall a time when there were more than two or three trans men on TV at the same time. Including trans men as characters, and as actors playing them onscreen, communicates a basic but very important message: men of transgender experience exist.”

As Mattel unveils new gender-inclusive doll line, GLAAD praises children’s media for continuing to expand to reflect the diversity of children and families Mattel, the maker of Barbie, introduced a new line of gender-inclusive dolls called “Creatable World.” The brand is encouraging children to customize the dolls without gender norms in mind. GLAAD praised the news with statement from GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis: “Mattel’s new line of gender inclusive dolls encourages children to be their authentic selves and is the latest sign that toys and media aimed at kids are expanding to reflect how diverse children and their families actually are. So many children and parents never saw themselves represented in toys and dolls, but this new line raises the bar for inclusion thanks to input from parents, physicians, and children themselves.”

GLAAD honors Paula Abdul, Dan Levy at the GLAAD Gala San Francisco On September 28, GLAAD held its annual GLAAD Gala San Francisco, which brought attention to those accelerating acceptance in the tech space and beyond. Ru Paul’s Drag Race alumna and Broadway star Peppermint hosted the evening and delivered a powerful moment by remembering the 19 trans lives lost so far in 2019. Davidson/Valentini Award honoree Dan Levy shared his coming out story and sent a message of empowerment to LGBTQ youth. Paula Abdul was the recipient of the Ariadne Getty Ally Award, and she paid tribute to HIV/AIDS activists and her LGBTQ fans.

What it's like dating while bisexual on a historically conservative campus Bi+Week wrapped up on Sept. 23, and Texas A&M senior and GLAAD Campus Ambassador Dorothy McIntush shared her experiences of being bi and dating on a conservative campus. She writes: “I don’t know exactly how much of this discomfort is caused by my college environment, but it is a significant contributing factor. However, the more visibly queer people and queer allies there are in an environment, the more likely that same environment will become more accepting of these identities.”

#BiWeek or Not, bi+ people like me need representation Megan Townsend, Director of Entertainment Research and Analysis, discusses the ways in which TV has expanded to include bi+ narratives and the positive impact that has for bi+ awareness. Megan writes: “Media - and entertainment media in particular, which connects with people in such a personal way - is the best vehicle with the biggest reach we have to combat some of those negative stereotypes about bisexuals and create a world where more bi+ people feel safe and confident to come out.”

That’s it for now. Make sure you’re following @GLAAD on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest in LGBTQ representation across all forms of media in 2019 and beyond.