Silencing the Silent: GLSEN “Day of Silence” effort gets more opposition

By David W. Shelton | April 8, 2007 |

On Wednesday, April 18 of this year, The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) will team up with thousands of schools nationwide to participate in the 11th annual Day of Silence. This event is one of the most profound and most powerful examples of “civil disobedience” that we’ve seen in recent years, and is easily one of the most well-organized student-led efforts of the 21st century.

In their own words from their website:

“DAY OF SILENCE, April 18, 2007: The Day of Silence is 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. In its 11th year, the Day of Silence is one of the largest student-led actions in the country.”

Middle and high schools are able to participate with the effort along with colleges. It first started in 1996 with 150 people at the University of Virginia who felt that the best way to speak out against violence and harassment of their GLBT friends was to commit to being silent for a day. The message is simple. Participants choose to remain silent for the day in honor of those who are forced into silence about their sexual orientation. «Read the rest of this article»

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