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Disclaimer: This is not the official Day of Silence website. We borrowed our resources from the GLSEN webpage. For more and up to date information, click here for the official Day of Silence website.
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This profile was created to spread the word and create silence nation wide. Send me your stories of past years, and if you have any pictures relating to the day of silence, let me know.
What is the Day of Silence?
The Day of Silence is a project of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in collaboration with the United States Student Association (USSA), 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.
Who started the Day of Silence?
In 1996, students at the University of Virginia organized the first Day of Silence in response to a class assignment on non-violent protests. Over 150 students participated in this inaugural DOS. In 1997, organizers took their effort nationally and nearly 100 colleges and universities participated. In 2001, GLSEN became the official organizational sponsor for the event.
Has the Day of Silence been successful?
In past years, more than 500,000 students at nearly 4,000 K-12 schools, colleges and universities organized Day of Silence events. These numbers make the Day of Silence one of the largest student-led actions in the United States. The event has drawn significant attention to LGBT issues in schools over the years. For example, GLSEN spokespersons have appeared on national media outlets and there has always been extensive local media coverage from coast to coast, with numerous interviews with students.
Why do we need a Day of Silence?
GLSEN’s 2005 National School Climate Survey found that 4 out of 5 LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and more than 30% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. The Day of Silence helps bring us closer to making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America’s schools.
The Day of Silence is a call to action. Students can use this day, as well as other GLSEN Days of Action, as a means of achieving an “ask.†An ask is a very specific action that calls for a change in school policies, climate, and culture to achieve a larger goal of safe schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Some examples of an ask include: adding sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in your school’s non-discrimination or anti-harassment policy, or training teachers to respond effectively to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment, and name-calling. For more information see: ‘How To Get What You Want With An Ask’
I'm in middle school. Can I organize a Day of Silence at my school?
The Day of Silence can logistically be organized in any school, public or private, middle school, high school or college. However, in middle and high schools, getting support from the school administration is critical. Students should not assume that administrators would not support their efforts--even if they have not supported LGBT issues in the past--because it's always important to ask and provide information to win support. Read more about getting administrative support in the Day of Silence Organizing Manual.
How do the Day of Silence activities affect the school day?
GLSEN encourages students to participate in the Day of Silence in cooperation with their schools. We encourage students to get support from their principals and other school staff. While some students choose to be silent for the day, some participants are simply silent for part of the day, during lunch, or at community events. Students may also participate in “Breaking the Silence†rallies, events at which students come together at the day’s end to express themselves and share their experiences with members of their local communities.
What other things can I do to create an effective Day of Silence?
An important part of the Day of Silence is creating educational opportunities before and/or after the event. Many people will be affected by this event, and will want to know more about the silence LGBT people and their allies face. Good follow-up events include: workshops, speakers, entertainment, or any other venue for evaluation, education, and discussion.
I want to help organize this regionally and nationally. What can I do?
Great! There are several ways you can become more involved. The first step is simply signing-up for the day of silence on www.dayofsilence.org. Next you can contact a local student organizer (on the www.studentorganizing.org home page under the yellow tab "get support") and inform them of all you’re doing locally. They can help you do more in your city, state or region, and become more connected.
How much does it cost to register as a participant in the Day of Silence?
Absolutely nothing, except the few minutes needed to fill out the Student Organizing registration.
What happens if my school doesn't support the effort?
GLSEN is actively encouraging all students, particularly those from middle and high schools, to secure school permission for the event. We believe that such support is critical for many reasons. We encourage students in those schools where support is unlikely to build campaigns to try and secure that support or work with their administration on compromises of activities the school will allow. We also encourage students to identify events and ways to participate outside of the school.
If your administration does not support an official Day of Silence event there are alternative activities that you can engage in. Please refer to our blog.
Does the work end after the day is over?
The Day of Silence is one element of a larger effort to create safe schools for all students regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Many communities, in addition to supporting the Day of Silence, host Breaking The Silence events, rallies, legislative lobby days, performances and more – both on the Day of Silence and all year round. We are also asking our national leaders to support policies that create safe schools for all. Many communities are asking their local and state leaders to support and implement similar policies.
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More Resources:
Day of Silence
GLSEN
This profile was created to spread the word and create silence nation wide. Send me your stories of past years, and if you have any pictures relating to the day of silence, let me know.
