(Courtesy/ Sancho McCann)
Each year, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, GLSEN, sponsors the Day of Silence, a student-led event held in thousands of schools across the nation. The event’s mission is to “[bring] awareness to the silencing effects of anti-LGBTQ name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools,” according to GLSEN.
Academy’s GSA hosted the Day of Silence on Thursday, May 4, two weeks after the national date, April 21, because of various scheduling conflicts. At morning check-in, stickers were offered to those wishing to partake in taking a vow of silence. For others, Human Rights
Campaign equality stickers were available to those who wanted to show their support.
For Grayson Mick’17, GSA’s co-president, the Day of Silence is a day when students can choose to “take a vow of silence to reflect on and honor the isolation that people in the LGBT community still feel today.”
AtAcademy, we live in a close-knit community, in which most of us feel comfortable to express our feelings and selves. This is not the case for most adolescents in our country and other across the globe.
In reference to the awareness and openness of our school community, the day gives students a chance to realize that “not everyone in our community, country, and world is as fortunate to have such an environment,” says Mick.
This isn’t to say that Academy is the perfect place.
There are still many of us who are unaware of the safe school environments championed by GLSEN and GSA for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
The Day of Silence gives those students who are not a part of GSA and who may not be as aware of the struggles of the LGBT community the chance to have open dialogue. Students are genuinely interested in learning more about the various communities of our school, and this day is just a start.
While the rainbow cookies at the end of the day were delicious, we should remember that this day, “is not just about the cookies,” says GSA member, Olivia Ryan’18. “It’s about widening the community and promoting awareness.”
Mick and Ryan agree: The days’ ultimate goal is to make Academy students allies.
