UHS Takes Part in National Day of Silence
On Friday, April 15 the hallways were quieter than usual as a number of Urbana High School students participated in the National Day of Silence.
The Day of Silence is a day where students all over the U.S.A. vow to be silent for an entire day to bring attention to the effect of anti-LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender and Questioning) bullying and name-calling. The event has been sponsored by GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) since 2001.
It is the largest student-led action towards creating safer schools regardless of sexual orientation. The first DOS was in 1996, with over 150 students participating at the University of Virginia. The event was received well, so Maria Pulzetti decided to take the DOS nationally the next year.
In 2008, the DOS on April 25 was held in memoriam of eighth grader Lawrence King who was shot and killed by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. This year, over 8,000 schools participated.
Students handed out cards saying:
“Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence; a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by name-calling, bullying and harassment. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?”
There are a variety of opinions on the Day of Silence, about whether it’s a successful in its goal, and if there are better ways to bring attention to LGBTQ bullying.
Sophomore Zippy Goldenfeld joined in on Friday by being silent, and believes it’s a good thing to participate in. She said, “The Day of Silence helps not only the outside world, but the people doing it. It makes others at least think about equality and gay rights. And when you do realize how hard it is not to talk, and makes you want to help the LGBTQ community more.”
On the other hand, some think that there are better ways to support LGBTQ rights. “If you’re trying to get people to be open about their sexuality and come out of the closet, you should speak, not be silent,” said Freshman Evan Brown.
“All they’re doing is being quiet. No one notices you if you’re quiet, no one notices anyone in school,” said Sophomore Jesus Olmedo. Instead, he suggested that those who wanted to be silent should get a big group together or wear signs to say why they’re protesting. “Then during lunch or a passing period they could all get together and protest, because you can’t get noticed or attention if you’re quiet,” said Olmedo.
Some feel that the silence in itself encourages LGBTQ students to not be open about their sexuality, but Junior Marissa Jackson disagrees. Jackson said, “Being silent doesn’t stop any expression. By showing so much restraint by not talking for an entire day, shows how dedicated they are and how important the cause is. The problem is that if someone doesn’t understand it, you can’t explain it to them, but it’s still a great cause.”
Here in Urbana-Champaign, there was a “Die-In” held at the intersection of Green Street and Wright Street after school. During this protest, when all the traffic lights turn red, protesters would run into the street and lie down (or “die”) to symbolize all the youth who have committed suicide due to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment.
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