Today marks the Day of Silence, when many students from middle school to college choose not to speak, in order to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment. Doing so feels ever more necessary, even though this past week saw some progress towards addressing the issue.
Yesterday, Arizona repealed an anti-LGBTQ law that had forbidden any positive discussion of LGBTQ identities in the public school health curriculum. Such laws, said LGBTQ advocacy organizations, can “harm LGBTQ students by fostering school climates that stigmatize and isolate LGBTQ youth, putting them at heightened risk of bullying and harassment.” Now that law is no more. A few days earlier, New Mexico passed the Safe Schools for All Students Act, a comprehensive anti-bullying law that is inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity, making it the 19th state, along with Washington, DC, to have such a law.
Still, there is sometimes a gap between policy and practice, and still far too many states without anti-bullying laws that clearly protect LGBTQ students and those perceived to be. GLSEN’s latest (2017) National School Climate Survey shows that between 2015 and 17, the rate of verbal harassment of LGBTQ students plateaued and in some cases, increased, after declining from 2007 to 2015. The vast majority of LGBTQ students (87.3 percent) experienced harassment or assault based on personal characteristics, including sexual orientation, gender expression, gender, religion, race and ethnicity, and disability. Seven in ten LGBTQ students experienced verbal harassment at school based on sexual orientation, more than half based on gender expression or gender. Although physical harassment and assault based on sexual orientation continued to decline in 2017, GLSEN reports, “We have seen a steady increase in youth reporting negative remarks about transgender people, and a recent upward trend in the frequency of staff making negative remarks about gender expression.”
Choosing to speak out, even through silence, can be daunting. GLSEN advises that school students get support from the school administration before participating in the Day of Silence. Regardless, making oneself visible in support of a sometimes (unfortunately) controversial issue like LGBTQ acceptance can be frightening. I have the greatest respect for all of the students who are participating in the Day of Silence today and whose actions every day advocate for greater acceptance and inclusion.
That’s all I’ve got for today. Go listen to the kids.