New "Day of Silence" Articles

The Bilerico Project: Warren Throckmorton's Day of Silence counter-programming is wrong

Filed by: Alex Blaze
April 25, 2008 11:29 AM
Today is GLSEN's Day of Silence, when students all across the country remain silent at school in solidarity with the silence LGBT youth feel when it comes to expressing their identities, sexualities, and genders and the violence they face when they do actually express themselves. The students pass out cards explaining what they're doing since they aren't talking.
When I first heard about it years ago, I thought that it was a terrible idea. How in the world does shutting up prove our point? But then seeing the frenzied reaction of the Religious Right, how they've asked parents to keep their children home, organized walk-outs, and even made a "Day of Truth" to pass out anti-gay propaganda, I thought that the day must be doing something right if it's pissing the Religious Right off.
Indeed, with the amount of allied participation in this event, I think it's safe to say that this is an effective form of LGBT activism to counter violence against queer communities. So when someone like Grove City College's Warren Throckmorton tries to counter-program it with a "Golden Rule Day," it's unacceptable.
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The Huffington Post: When Silence Speaks Volumes

As you may know, today is the 12th Annual National Day of Silence, an annual observation in which students across the country take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) harassment faced by individuals in schools.
This year's event is being held in memory of one of my constituents, Lawrence "Larry" King, who was killed earlier this year in an act of anti-gay violence at E.O. Green Junior High.
Larry was a 15 year-old student at E.O. Greene Junior High in Oxnard who was tragically killed earlier this year. He liked to draw, study bugs, crochet, and sing. But he was also repeatedly harassed in school because of his sexual orientation and gender expression.
He endured anti-gay taunts, slurs, and other forms of bullying. This harassment culminated in his death when, on February 12, 2008, he was shot in the head by his 14-year-old classmate.
Larry's death is an unspeakable tragedy.
It is also a sad reminder that pleas for help from our young lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population are often met with silence.
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Queerty: Baldwin Talks Gay Silence

Lesbian politico Tammy Baldwin schooled her Congressional colleagues on Day of Silence this morning. Speaking on the House floor, Baldwin chatted about how 500,000 students are shutting their mouths to break the silence on anti-gay bullying.
She then reminded them of Lawrence King and implored our nation’s politicians to support the controversial movement:
This year’s event will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a California 8th-grader who was shot and killed Feb. 12 by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. Larry’s death is an unnecessary reminder of what we already know: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students continue to face pervasive harassment and victimization in schools.
As students use their silence to demand schools are safe for all students, it is my hope that we in Congress will use our voices to ensure that it be so.
New York’s Eliot Engel and Lois Capps of California definitely back Baldwin on this one: all three have lent their names to a resolution supporting the Day’s “ideals.” Twenty-eight other politicians have signed on board, as well.
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