Archie Comics’ Kevin Keller has been chosen to serve as a Spirit Day Ambassador for GLAAD’s annual anti-bullying campaign. On October 17th, Archie Comics, along with many other participating corporations, national landmarks, celebrities and schools will “go purple” in a show of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth.
Kevin Keller was introduced in 2010 as the first gay character in Archie history, the same year that GLAAD initiated Spirit Day to spread awareness that LGBT youth don’t have to stand up to bullying alone. This year, the Kevin Keller ongoing series was awarded the GLAAD Media Awards for Most Outstanding Comic Book and Archie Comics is honored that Kevin will become the first ever fictional character to be selected as a Spirit Day Ambassador.
“We are delighted and thrilled that GLAAD has selected Kevin Keller as a Spirit Day Ambassador,” said Archie Comics Publisher/co-CEO Jon Goldwater. “We have worked hard to make sure that Kevin stands for acceptance and equality and so this is a huge honor.”
Previous Spirit Day participants include The White House, Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Shaquille O’Neal, The View, The Talk, The Tonight Show, the NBA, the NFL, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, the Las Vegas Strip, and George Takei, who appeared as a special guest star in the Kevin Keller comic book.
