The Nation: The Day of Silence brings awareness to the harassment of LGBT students

[marmar]

Day of Silence
posted by Peter Rothberg on 04/15/2010 @ 10:48am


This post was guest-written by Morgan Ashenfelter, a Nation intern and freelance writer based in New York City.

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On April 16, thousands of university and high school students will attend classes without a word. No socializing in hallways or the quad, no joking in the cafeteria, no speaking in classrooms. When asked why they remain silent, their only response will be a card explaining the national Day of Silence, now in its 14th year.

The Day brings attention to the silence endured by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students faced with regular bullying and harassment in school. The card explains that students' "deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by name-calling, bullying and harassment." The solution: "Ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices."

The event has become the largest student-led action addressing school safety for all students, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or race. The day began in 1996 at the University of Virginia. Undergraduate Maria Pulzetti created an event designed to be visible on campus and to draw in straight allies.

"I wanted to do something for BGLAD week that would impact many people at the school and that would be very visible," Pulzetti said in an interview for Oasis magazine. "I knew that if we held panel discussions and events like that, the only people who would come would be the people who already were fairly aware."

The first Day of Silence was a small success, garnering some positive press attention. The next year the event grew to include 200 UVA students and more 100 colleges and universities across the US sparked by Pulzetti and fellow student Jesse Gilliam, who worked hard to develop the project for schools coast to coast. Two years later high schools became involved, and in 2000 the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) became the official sponsor of the event. In 2008 over 8,000 high schools, colleges and universities took part in the action. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/actnow/551975/day_of_silence

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. No impact at my campus...sort of surprised

I would have expected something. The GLBTQ groups I am involved with on campus did not seem to make anything of it either.