Students Take A Stand
Liberty’s annual Day of Silence shows support for LGBT students
GSA officers made rainbow pins out of ribbon so that those participating could show their pride.
May 8, 2019
It’s no secret that LGBT students lack a voice, whether it’s hiding in the closet or feeling unaccepted in their community. However, our own GSA planned to fight this ignorance with a Day of Silence on April 12.
“The Day of Silence is an annual event in which students can voluntarily participate in remaining silent to represent individuals in the LGBTQ+ community whose voices are silenced,” GSA president Paxton Linnemeyer said.
GSA stands for Gender Sexuality Alliance and is a club dedicated to helping students find a safe space in the school, as well as educating others on LGBT issues. They meet every other Thursday and have hosted various events in order to promote awareness, the Day of Silence being one of the most successful.
“Since our GSA has organized the event in the past, it has become easier throughout the years. We generally make a sign, or pins this year and make sure that the individuals participating let their teachers know so that they are also aware,” Linnemeyer said. “Our board cares about what we do, so this cause was no different. We didn’t struggle to find people to participate because the group is willing and wants to do so, but we were pleasantly surprised when even a few teachers participated, to the best of their ability. As long as there are people joining in and spreading awareness, it’s always a success.”
Many students participated, including sophomore Alliesa Riles.
“It was very difficult, I had to fight my subconscious all day. I will definitely be participating if there’s another one,” Riles said.
Participating in the Day of Silence is no easy task- it’s a day spent with no talking whatsoever. That eliminates discussions in any classroom, lunch table gossip, pretty much any social situation you’d find yourself in. You might find students carrying around whiteboards just to communicate with teachers and friends.
“It’s absolutely difficult to remain silent all day and most people find themselves slipping up every once in awhile, but the impact remains the same. I’ve always struggled with staying silent through choir, theatre and even English this year, but each year brings about more progress,” Linnemeyer said.
When asked why he participated, Linnemeyer knew his answer with no hesitation.
“I participated because of the impact it holds in not only our community here at Liberty, but schools in the nation. The lack of voices heard throughout the day only represents a small sliver of the thousands of people who are unable to express themselves on a daily basis. The first year I participated, it truly made me realize just how widespread the erasure of the community it and it inspired me to spread that information and insure that the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community are heard and addressed,” Linnemeyer said.
Even students that did not participate felt the impact of this protest.
“The day of silence has expanded my belief that the prejudiced members of the LGBT community are forced to live in silence. Seeing the amount of people participate made me realize just how many people in our school face these issues,” sophomore Ianne Salvosa said. “I would love to participate next year. I think it’s important for allies to join in on the movement to eliminating the hate against the LGBT community.”
Everybody can make an impact and everybody can fight for change. This fight against hate is a call to action for everybody who wants to see a difference made and only further begs the question- what do you believe in?
