On Tuesday, May 3, groups of students throughout the Upper School were silenced in solidarity for their classmates, friends, and others in the LGBTQ+ community who have been victims of bullying.
Day of Silence serves to create an awareness for the issue of harassment within the LGBTQ+ community for those who cannot speak out about their experiences. In support of them, allies and others take a vow of silence for the day.
Students and teachers wore “supporter” stickers, featuring the Human Rights Campaign logo of a yellow equal sign, and “participant” stickers, which depict the official Day of Silence label.
The Gay-Straight Alliance created an opportunity to share thoughts about the day via a booth set up in the hallway. Those who wished to contribute their advocacy in writing used the provided sticky notes and posted them on the walls of the booth.
In the weeks prior to the event, a featured wall of posted “mean tweets” in the freshman hallway allowed students to remove the messages that they found offensive and replace them with “hugs,” or rainbow heart stickers.
GSA hosted a “breaking the silence” celebration after classes, complete with much-anticipated rainbow cookies.
For those who have been affected by harassment against the LGBTQ+ community or would like to know more about the issue, check out the resources below.
http://www.dayofsilence.org
http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/
http://www.stopbullying.gov/
