Day of Silence

Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discriminaton. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today.

Today is the 11th annual Day of Silence, 'an annual event held to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools. Students and teachers nationwide will observe the day in silence to echo the silence that LGBT and ally students face everyday.'

It's a great event for middle and high schoolers, as its aim is to get persons at a tender, formative age together in visible (if inaudible) solidarity behind the idea that you shouldn't discriminate against queer people for being queer. Being visibly supportive during structured events like these is a great way to establish yourself as open-minded and supportive for future reference, especially if you're straight. It's sometimes hard to find opportunities to come out specifically as an ally, but it's desperately important, especially if you have friends and/or students who won't approach you unless they know you're safe.

I wish my job were structured in such a way that I could participate in this in good conscience and/or to any real effect, but it's hard to participate in an silence-based event to foster awareness when I spent a great deal of time every day saying important phrases like 'stop hitting him' and 'don't eat that', statements which are far more immediately relevant to the lives of my students than the abstract concept of justice for persons of all genders and sexual orientations. Nonetheless, rest assured that the use of 'gay' as a perjorative term will be met with the sternest disapproval possible.

('What do you picture for gay rights?' I would say, and then it would be all over.)