Day of Silence

Tomorrow is the 11th annual Day of Silence, an event held to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools. Hundreds of thousands of students will remain silent all day in observance of the occasion. Some will pass out “speaking cards” that read:

Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?

At a time when even the hint of being LGBT is enough to bring harassment upon students, participants in the Day of Silence are taking a courageous stand.

A question for discussion: Are your children involved in activism of any kind? If so, do they focus on the same issues you or your partner are most active with, or have they found their own causes?

My three-year-old is still too young for this to be a relevant question, though it’s possible his love of putting bottles in the recycling bins will translate into a greater concern for the environment. I don’t want to force him to take up any particular causes, or even to be an “activist” if that’s not his thing, but I do hope he’ll find his own way to give back to the world and stand up for what matters to him.