This morning, in my first period class, there was girl, with whom I occasionally speak, who was sporting a logo on her shirt that read like this:
Day of Silence
Protesting LGBT Harassment
April 25, 2008
When I asked her about it, she handed me this slip of paper:
Day of Silence
Silent for Lawrence King
Please understand my reasons for not speaking today.
I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to
the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling, and harassment. This year's DOS is held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old student who was killed in school because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today.
What are you going to do to end the silence?
Having many gay, lesbian, and bisexual friends, many of whom have told me of personal experiences of discrimination, I asked her if she had any extras of those slips of paper. She smiled and handed me one, as well as an adhesive label almost identical to the one I noticed her wearing.
From that moment on, and for the rest of the day, not a word has escaped my lips (except once by accident).
Of course there were some immature people who have made fun of me for it, and some didn't quite get it, thinking it plain stupid. But, to my delight, there were many who thought it a truly profound and wonderful cause, putting up with my hand motions and my note-pad, and even helping me convey my thoughts in class discussions.
This made me think of the ingenuity of this protest. My silence, as inconvenient as it was for some, inspired many do something that they may not have ever done before today, as I'm sure was the case with many of the other protesters: To speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. This is the whole point of the issue we have been protesting today, which, in my opinion, was very successful.
And it shouldn't be limited to just those whose sexual orientation may not be popularly accepted. I hope this serve as a lesson to anyone who is reading this: When anyone cannot speak for themselves, or is too afraid to stand alone, the duty of speaking for them falls to anyone who can, and that includes YOU.
This is not just some silly blog filled with vapidity. It's quite serious, and I personally think that everyone should at least read it. It won't take very long, and you might just learn something if you do.
In memory of Lawrence King
Zichron livracha
May his memory be a blessing
Rest in Peace
In memory of Lawrence King
Zichron livracha
May his memory be a blessing
Rest in Peace
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Comments
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It lifts my heart to see this. A very important, emotional thing this is for me, and I commend you on speaking of it so well! Stories such as this--one in a dozen or a thousand--one more set of open eyes--are why we never give up showing our support outward. I commend you.
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My Hat Off To You
This is a remarkable write. I have friends that have been put down for their choice in partners. Congradulations to you and your friends for the courage to be heard. You have more heart than most adults I know. -
I was aware of the Day of Silence and burnt some incense for Lawerance upon returning home. Sometimes its more powerful to say nothing at all.
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I did know about the day of silence! ^_^ my friends participate in it every year. I am torn apart though...I don't have a problem with people being gay, lesbian, or anything like that because I know people who are but my problem is that I don't support it. I won't support it, if my friends asked me to wear a gay pride bracelet or something I wouldn't. I don't know, would it be hypocritical of me to participate in the day of silence? I think that the loss of lives is WRONG! Including gays. But again I don't want to be a hypocrite, especially for something that involves lives. Would it be ok for me to participate or would I be a hypocrit?
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Not as far as I'm concerned. If the only people who protested in these matters were the ones directly affected, they wouldn't be nearly as successful. This is true with all protests. Looking back in history on the Civil rights March on Washington of 1963, would it have had the same effect if over 20% of the 250,00 people had not been of a race other than African American(i.e. White)? Of course not! And because of said march, we had the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed less than a year later.
We even see example of this in more recent popular culture references like that movie, Hairspray. Fighting for someone else's rights does NOT make you a hypocrite. It makes you a wonderful human being.
Every creature in the world, whether it be a fish that swims, a beast that walks, or a bird that flies, has the ability to stand up for itself and its family. But only humans have the ability to stand up for others, even people we've never met. -
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wow! you're right, thanks for reminding me of that, that really helped and cleared things up for me ^_^
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