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America's silent protest
Day of Silence 17 April 2009
Campuses across America will fall silent on Friday 17th April.
The annual Day of Silence is a nationwide protest against anti-gay name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.
The first Day of Silence was held at the University of Virginia in 1996, and the movement rapidly grew. Last year more than 8,000 schools participated in the event which is organised by the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network, an organisation aiming to ensure safe schools for all students.
Students elect to remain silent for all or part of the day. Last year students handed “Speaking Cards” which read:
"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?"
This year’s event is particularly poignant as it falls on what would have been the twelfth birthday of Carl Walker-Hoover, a Massachusetts boy who took his own life after enduring anti-LGBT bullying at school.
