Day of Silence: April 17th

Hey, everybody. With everything going on, I totally forgot to mention another important event for the month of April in my last post. This event is one of the most important in the teenage LGBT community every year: Day of Silence, which is Friday, April 17th.

Day of Silence is an annual nationwide project created by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). During the day, students from middle school to college take a vow of silence in an effort to draw attention to the harassment, bullying, and discrimination (or silencing) LGBT students and their allies face on a daily basis. This brings about a call to action by students, parents, teachers, and so forth to bring an end to such discrimination. This is the 13th annual DOS. More information can be found on http://dayofsilence.org.

While most schools that have Gay-Straight Alliance clubs sponsor the event, not every school has such an organization (mine included). For those students, it is important to organize the event ourselves, and get our peers to participate. It can be pretty daunting (I did it last year, and this year as well) but it can be done.
The most important thing is to get students who will take the event seriously. The LGBT educational movement is only hindered when those participating act foolish or immature. Avoid students who merely wish to not talk in class. Make sure they understand the implications of this project.

Finding students can be tricky, especially in schools where open LGBT students are few. This is why open-minded students, especially underclassman, are integral. Not only are they often willing to support what most would see as a lost-cause, it is important to educate the younger generation who do not have as much experience with LGBT discrimination.

For the most part, the faculty and administration will not try to hinder you. We have an amazing set of rights schools dare not infringe open. If someone tries to reprimand you, gently remind them of your rights and ability to contact your closest American Civil Liberties Union. If they continue to not allow your protest, act upon it.

Yes, I know my post comes fairly late in the game. You might feel that organizing the event this soon before the day is impossible. It’s not. If you hit it hard, you can still make a difference. Even an individual student is better than nothing. Think of the big picture. We need to make our schools safe for LGBT students. The implications of doing nothing are far too great. It’s time to break the status quo. Good luck.

For all the information you need to participate in DOS, visit http://dayofsilence.org/. They have speaking cards, event planning guides, FAQs, legal advice, and much more.