Last week, I was chased across the street by a young man in a purple pashmina. “Excuse me,” he panted, “I just wanted to thank you for wearing purple. You look great.” Well, gosh; I’ve made a few style statements in my time, but they rarely disrupt traffic. When I looked puzzled, the man explained: “We’re wearing purple this week to show solidarity with gay youth. There have been a lot of suicides….so we’re wearing purple to show support, and tell them they’re okay.” Upon further investigation, Mr. Pashmina (and I) may have been a little early to the purple party. Most websites set the “official” Wear Purple Day for this Wednesday, October 20. So good news; there’s still a little time to polish up your amethysts and launder your lavenders, and wear them tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a concurrent project with the same goal, the It Gets Better Project, features queer adults bringing words of encouragement to their younger bretheren. Chris Coleman, Artistic Director of Portland Center Stage (and recent featuree of our Fall Arts Issue), just added his voice to the cause via this video, filmed in the Gerding lobby:

To read more of Culturephile’s queer-friendly coverage, check out the queer-friendly tag! Or for a comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar anytime.