Students nationwide get loud for annual Day of Silence

Students nationwide will be joining together this spring with something profound to say: nothing.

Wednesday, April 18 is the 11th annual National Day of Silence, an event held by LGBT organizations nationwide. The Day of Silence is held every year in opposition to discrimination and harassment against LGBT students and their supporters.

This year, UB students have also organized their own Day of Silence, which will be held on April 25.

According to Daryl Presgraves, the media relations associate with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Educational Network (GLSEN), the Day of Silence is one of the largest student action days in the U.S.

The event began in 1996, when a group of students at the University of Virginia chose to take action to bring attention to discrimination and bullying of the LGBT community in schools. The idea was to take a vow of silence in protest, and to draw attention to the problem, according to Presgraves.

The National Day of Silence has gotten progressively larger during its 11 years of existence, Presgraves said.

OWe anticipate hundreds of thousands of students to participate,O Presgraves said. OThis is an event that has been growing each year, and we expect this yearOs event to be the biggest one ever.O

Bojidar Kojouharov, a sophomore biomedical sciences major, is on staff organizing UBOs participation in this yearOs event. According to Kojouharov, The LGBT has been giving away pink and blue, as well as white and blue ODay of SilenceO T-shirts to raise awareness of the campaign.

OWeOll be tabling one day this week or next and giving out T-shirts to increase participation,O Kojouharov said. OItOs hard to tell how many people will be silent but I think weOll have a pretty good turnout.O

GLSEN took over as the national sponsor of the Day of Silence in 2001, along with the United States Student Association, which helps support the event on the collegiate level.

Unlike many other protests LGBT communities participate in, the Day of Silence receives considerably less opposition, according to Presgraves.

OBasically, there are some people who misunderstand and misrepresent what the day is about, but overall, itOs hard to oppose a day thatOs completely about reducing and ending bullying and harassment in school,O Presgraves said. OItOs a positive message, so itOs hard to oppose.O

Sixty-four percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students report harassment at school each year, according to GLSENOs 2005 National School Climate Survey.

The Day of Silence is one way LGBT students and their allies can make bullying and harassment unacceptable in high schools and colleges, Presgraves said.

Presgraves and Kojoharov encourage all students to partake in the demonstrations held on either day.

OThe great thing about the event is that anyone can participate in any way,O Presgraves said. OThatOs why we love the event so much, and why itOs been so successful- itOs student run and student led.O

For more information, as well as materials for participating in the national day of silence, visit www.dayofsilence.org.