2008 Woodie Awards
From the Editor
LGBTA's Day of Silence demonstration proves successful for most
Sally Cramer
Issue date: 4/20/05 Section: Forum
Last Wednesday on April 13, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Alliance (LGBTA) held a demonstration in the lobby of Sykes Student Union for the National Day of Silence (DOS). According to www.dayofsilence.org, the DOS is a project of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), and is a student-led day of action where those who support making anti-LGBT bias unacceptable in schools take a day-long vow of silence to recognize and protest the discrimination and harassment in effect, the silencing experienced by LGBT students and their allies.
Students who take the vow of silence do not speak, and instead hand people what is known as a "speaking card," which says: "Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the DOS, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today."
As an executive board member for LGBTA, I was involved in brainstorming and planning the demonstration. In thinking about what to do for the DOS besides being silent, we came up with an idea modeled after the Chester County Peace Movement?s demonstration on March 19.
If you didn?t pass through Sykes lobby on April 13th between 12-1p.m., let me describe what we did: we wore black and stood completely still in Sykes lobby. I had hoped it would look really eerie, and I think it did. Many stopped to read our poster explaining the DOS and find out why we were standing there. Our solemn group looked very out of place in a bustling lobby full of the noise and chatter of day-today activities. The serious looks on our faces and some of us wearing our LGBTA shirts that say "Gay? Fine by me" also helped add to the effect. Many people gave a smile, a head nod, or even a thumbs-up.
Students who take the vow of silence do not speak, and instead hand people what is known as a "speaking card," which says: "Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the DOS, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today."
As an executive board member for LGBTA, I was involved in brainstorming and planning the demonstration. In thinking about what to do for the DOS besides being silent, we came up with an idea modeled after the Chester County Peace Movement?s demonstration on March 19.
If you didn?t pass through Sykes lobby on April 13th between 12-1p.m., let me describe what we did: we wore black and stood completely still in Sykes lobby. I had hoped it would look really eerie, and I think it did. Many stopped to read our poster explaining the DOS and find out why we were standing there. Our solemn group looked very out of place in a bustling lobby full of the noise and chatter of day-today activities. The serious looks on our faces and some of us wearing our LGBTA shirts that say "Gay? Fine by me" also helped add to the effect. Many people gave a smile, a head nod, or even a thumbs-up.
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