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Day Of Silence Observed by gomag.com April 25, 2008 |
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Today, April 25, 2008, 6,000 middle and high schools from around the country are participating in the national Day Of Silence. This is the 12th anniversary of the silent protest which is aimed at bringing attention to harassment and violence and LGBT youth in school across the country. This year's Day Of Silence is being held in honor of Lawrence King, the 15-year-old from Oxnard, California who was murdered earlier this year after asking another boy to be his Valentine.
Students who decide to remain quiet all day were given a card that reads, "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 in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. 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?"
The Day of Silence, started in 1996 by a group of university students in 1996, became a national event in 1997. In 2001, the Gay and Lesbian Straight Education Netwrk became a national sponsor. Kevin Jennings, the executive director of GLSEN, said, "Young people from across the country have heard about this horrible tragedy and are coming together on the Day of Silence to show their support for safe schools for all students. The Day of Silence brings hope to hundreds of thousands of students that their schools and their world can be safer and more tolerant places."
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