Friday, April 25, 2008

Day of Silence

On Friday, April 25, students around the country address the harassment faced by LGBT youth. Not through their words, but without them. By not speaking, they draw attention to the ways in which intolerance silences members of our communities. This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Lawrence King, an eighth grader who was shot and killed by a classmate this year because of his sexual orientation and gender identity.


The Day of Silence is a student-led action, sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a national organization that works for the rights of children of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions to have a safe and fair education. More than 500,000 students have participated in the Day of Silence in past years, in K-12 schools as well as colleges and universities.

Here in Phoenix there were day of silence activities in many places, among them, ASU, Gilbert/Chandler college, and U of A. The picture above includes students at Gilbert/Chandler college, as well as Sisters 3M and myself. You can learn more about the day of silence events taking place all over the United States, and other LGBT youth oriented projects at: http://www.dayofsilence.org/

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