Pridelines Youth Candlelight Vigil Against Bullying
Saturday, October 20, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
Miami Beach Community Church
1620 Drexel Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Pridelines Youth Services and hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and their straight friends and allies will come together at the Miami Beach Community Church for the 3rd annual Spirit Day Candlelight Vigil.  This national event remembers the thousands of teen suicides which take place every year and provides an opportunity to speak out against bullying and in support of LGBTQ youth.  Participants are encouraged to wear purple and join Pridelines and its partner organizations for this inspirational event on Lincoln Road Mall.
 
“It is unconscionable that so many LGBTQ teens take their lives because of the incessant bullying and harassment they experience due to their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Pridelines Youth Council President Bryan Gutierrez.  “This year we will also be remembering Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani teenager who was gunned down by the same hate and intolerance that threatens teens in here in Florida.”
 
The vigil is free and open to the entire community.  Pridelines is calling on all people of good conscience to come to Lincoln Road Mall and join the stand against intolerance and in support of South Florida’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.
 
In addition to the remembrance, Miami Beach City Commissioner Michael Gongora will be presenting Pridelines with a City of Miami Beach proclamation in recognition of the organization’s 30 years of service to the youth of South Florida.

Pridelines Youth Services is a grassroots 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created by gay youth for gay youth and their allies in the wake of Anita Bryant’s “Save Our Children” campaign.  Pridelines’ mission is to support, educate and empower South Florida’s LGBTQ youth in a safe and diverse environment as well as to foster dialogue and cultivate social change.  For more than 28 years, Pridelines has provided safe space, social support, skills building, leadership development and referrals to mental health, health care and support services for LGBTQ youth and their straight allies between the ages of 13 and 24. 

For more information about Pridelines call (305) 571-9601 or visit www.pridelines.org.