On Apr. 26, not a word will be heard from half a million students nationwide. For the tenth consecutive year, the Day of Silence will quiet supporters of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender rights in a project coordinated by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the United States Student Association (USSA) to promote equality and acceptance for members of the LGBT community.
Participants in the Day of Silence spend the entire day without speaking a word, mirroring the discrimination and harassment - the "silencing" - faced by members of the LGBT community on a regular basis. These protestors against discrimination aim to promote safer schools, regardless of their own sexual orientations.
Since it began in 1996 at the University of Virginia with just 150 participants, the Day of Silence's participation has risen dramatically. One year later, in 1997, Maria Pulzetti, the founder of the first-ever Day of Silence, collaborated with then-19-year-old Jessie Gilliam in taking the Day to schools across the nation.
Soon after, Pulzetti and Gilliam amassed a team of assistants and coordinators to help them spread the Day's message, resulting in additional educational events and participation from high school students as well. A Day of Silence resolution was presented to Congress by Representative Eliot Engel and 29 co-signers in 2002; the same year that saw nationwide media attention to the Day of Silence from USA Today, MSNBC and CNN.
This year, GLSEN projects that 500,000 students from 4,000 schools will be participating in Day of Silence - some of the highest numbers for the project to date.
"The tremendous numbers of students who take part in the Day of Silence is cause for celebration and a loud message from America's students that we must work harder to ensure safe and effective schools for every child," said Kevin Jennings, founder and executive director of GLSEN, in a Mar. 30 press release.
According to freshman Sofia Nelson, a member of Tufts' LGBT Staff and one of the coordinators of this year's Day of Silence, 2006 marks the eighth year of Tufts' participation in the Day of Silence. This year, the focus is on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy employed by the armed services regarding issues of homosexuality.
"We decided to focus on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' because we feel that it is a really pertinent issue that should be of concern to many," Nelson said. "Many members of the armed forces that have been discharged as a result of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' have been highly trained linguists and translators who played essential roles in fighting the war on terror."
The speaking cards which participating students will be carrying to explain their pledge will also bear the story of a male or female who has been discharged as a result of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Nelson said. Students taking the vow will be dressed in black.
The idea of adding a theme to the Day of Silence was started at Tufts in 2004, said LGBT Center director Dona Yarbrough. That year, the theme was "raising awareness of the need for Tufts to add gender identity and expression to our university-wide non-discrimination policy," Yarbrough said.
The campaign was successful: The University expanded its non-discrimination policy in Oct. 2005 "in large part because the Day of Silence focused attention to the issue," Yarbrough said.
Though the event is "a partnership between the LGBT Center and the Queer Straight Alliance," Yarbrough said, it is also being sponsored this year by the Tufts Democrats. Yarbrough hopes the increased sponsorship will "expand the number of straight allies who participate in the Day."
Besides the protest and activism aspect behind the Day of Silence, Nelson believes that the Day will emphasize the impact of the silence to which members of the LGBT community are no strangers.
"Day of Silence offers a space for students to reflect on what it means to be silenced, which will hopefully encourage people to speak up in the future," Nelson said.
Sophomore Wagatwe Wanjuki, who attended an all-girls school in her hometown of Cranford, New Jersey, previously participated in the Day of Silence at her high school, which she said was difficult.
"Not talking for a whole day was a big sacrifice," Wanjuki said. "But it definitely helped at my school, because my school was really homophobic - I think it's a good idea if it's unabused."
For others, though, the Day of Silence is a new concept. "In all honesty, I had never heard of the Day of Silence before I came to Tufts. I really know nothing about it, even now, but I'm sure if it supports a good cause I'll participate," freshman Martin Bourqui said. "There hasn't been any publicity about it to my knowledge, which might pose another problem if there are others who know nothing about it either."
Still others feel that taking a vow of silence is not enough to promote rights for homosexuals. "When I think of days of silences, I think of remembering deaths and such. I feel like silence is associated with other tragedies," freshman Geoanna Bautista said. "I think a different approach would be better to bring attention to gay rights."
Nelson, however, encouraged the entire student body to participate and attend the Breaking of the Silence Rally at the campus center at the Day's close.
"If you don't do one thing on Wednesday," Nelson said, "don't speak."
