Day of Silence

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April 12, 2010 • BY ASHLEY SEARS  
Filed under Features

Hundreds of thousands of students will sit in classrooms across the nation and take a vow to remain silent on April 16, 2010.

Some of their classmates won’t understand.

 But these silent protesters have their reasons:

 Because 86.2 percent of homosexual students suffer from anti-homosexual bullying and harassment. Two thirds of these students don’t report this maltreatment and they are forced to suffer in silence.

Because the Day of Silence is a way “to raise awareness and tolerance of GLBT (Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender) people in our school. The Day of Silence is a way for people that support GLBT people to show their support and get involved in the things we do.” Says Junior Kalla DePratter.

Because “It’s supposed to end the silence. People tend to over look the violence that happens to gays and lesbians, they don’t talk about it or tell anyone and the Day of Silence is also a day to encourage then to end their silence” Says senior Caleb Addy.

Because this silent protest helps to raise awareness of the students who are forced to remain silent every day because of the harsh discrimination, persecution and bullying they are forced to endure. 

Because “There are still people out there, not just in this school but in our community and the places around us and in the world and we’re not trying to say it’s right or anything, we’re just trying to say that you should at least tolerate it.” Says junior Anna Grimes

Because since 1996, the Day of Silence has grown to be the largest student-led battle against homosexual discrimination. 

Because “It’s very important, especially now in this day and age when people don’t really stand up for what they believe. Whenever we can get people to get together and stand up for something that they truly believe in, it’s always good that we can be united by such a thing.” Says Junior Iyanna Purnell.

Because on April 6, 2009 Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, an 11 year old boy from Massachusetts, hung himself after tolerating ruthless bulling because some of his classmates thought he was gay.

 Because April 16, 2010 is the 14^th annual Day of Silence and that day will commemorate students who have been forced to go through anti-homosexuality harassment. More information about the Day of Silence can be found at www.dayofsilence.org.

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