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GLSEN National Day of Silence In Schools Across US On April 16th

by Rhonda J Mangus | April 15, 2010 at 02:24 pm

404 views | 19 Recommendations | 5 comments

GLSEN expects that students at more than 5,000 middle schools and high schools will participate tomorrow, April 16th, in the National Day of Silence.

[A]nd over 30,000 people have joined a Facebook group promoting the effort. Many sport T-shirts or hand out literature promoting alliances between gay and straight students.

History of the National Day of Silence

The Day of Silence was started in 1996 at the University of Virginia by then-student Maria Pulzetti. In 1997, Pulzetti and Jesse Gilliam developed the project to be used in schools nationally. It was renamed the National Day of Silence. In 2000, Gilliam, Chloe Palenchar, and GLSEN National Student Organizer Chris Tuttle developed the proposal for the day to become an official project of GLSEN.

Message of the National Day of Silence

The message of the National Day of Silence is to bring attention to anti-LGBT name calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students may take a day-long vow of silence and hand out "Speaking Cards".

In 2008, students started handing out "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?"

Get Involved!

Whether you are a student, a faculty member or just a concerned citizen please see how you can get involved in this important day that has shaped and changed the lives of many queer and straight allied students around the country.

Check out GLSEN Day of Silence Website or their Facebook, MySpace and Twitter pages for ideas on how to get involved.

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Amy Judd

at 15:00 on April 15th, 2010

Nice coverage

Rhonda J Mangus

at 15:12 on April 15th, 2010

Thank you, Amy! The National Day of Silence is reportedly viewed as the largest student-led activism day in the US. Good for them!:)

Susan Marie Kovalinsky

at 16:24 on April 15th, 2010

Excellent post, Rhonda! : )

Rhonda J Mangus

at 16:27 on April 15th, 2010

Thank you, Susan!:)

devin Lehman (not verified)

at 10:26 on April 16th, 2010

a bunch of friends and i asked our principal monday if we could put up DOS posters much to our surprise she said yes. around wednesday a group of students tore these posters down and wrote Queers not welcome.. Then today friday She read the "please exuse the students who are silent today" and we had a bunch of gay/bi students hold a assembly 5th hr and much to our surprise we made a difference!