The Day of Silence: Supporting LGBT Students

Every year on April 19th, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) celebrate the Day of Silence. This is a day dedicated to protesting the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.  Each year, over 8,000 schools and hundreds of thousands of students participate. On this day, LGBT students as well as anyone who supports these students kept silent the entire day in order to represent the struggles these individuals have each year in dealing with harassment and bullying. Many students in Half Hollow Hills West participated in this inspiring event.

To remain silent for an entire day is not easy. Many students struggled to keep this oath, but they all thought it was worth it. Junior Josh Bainnson, a supporter of this day as well as the GLSEN, participated in this day. He used a dry erase board all day to communicate with others. When asked about this the next day, he said, “I enjoyed participating in the event. I truly admire the individuals who struggle each [and every] day every year to endure the harassment they get from others. Participating in this was difficult, but pales in comparison to the bullying others get.”  Sophomore Elan Sharony added, “I didn’t know about this day until this year, but I think it is really amazing. I am going to participate next year and I think that it will continue to spread until it becomes a huge thing.”

The Day of Silence is a day to support LGBT individuals who struggle daily to endure harassment. As this day continues to grow in popularity as well as in size, it spreads to more and more students in the High School West community. In the future, more and more students will participate in this event to support LGBT students and the GLSEN.