It’s a day to say gay—and lesbian, bi, transgender, and queer! GLSEN’s annual Day of Silence has been rebranded this year as the Day of (No) Silence, a time for LGBTQ students and their allies to take action against anti-LGBTQ harassment and discrimination in schools.
While in past years, the event encouraged young people to stay silent as an expression of support for LGBTQ youth, GLSEN explains that now, “With more than 800 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced last year, we must Rise Up and Take Action.” It added, “For those who may not feel safe or comfortable speaking out, the option of participating in a silent protest remains available. This ensures that everyone can contribute to the movement in a manner that aligns with their comfort level.”
GLSEN’s latest biennial National School Climate Survey (NSCS), released in fall 2022, found that 82 percent of LGBTQ students felt unsafe at school, and almost all heard anti-LGBTQ remarks, many from teachers and staff.
LGBTQ students who experienced victimization or discrimination were about three times as likely to have missed school in the past month. They had lower GPAs (on average, around B-, versus around B+), and were about twice as likely to report not planning to pursue post-secondary education (college or trade school). They also had lower self-esteem, higher levels of depression, and a lower sense of belonging to their school communities.
Separate research published last month by Abbie Goldberg of Clark University and independent scholar JuliAnna Smith found that children of LGBTQ parents, too, experienced structural and/or interpersonal stigma at school, with two-thirds of the parents who participated—especially trans parents—saying their children had encountered this.
The Day of (No) Silence website offers numerous ways that students, educators, and others can take action through school activities, rallies, and outreach. I encourage you to check them out and suggest them (as relevant) to the young people in your lives. Here, I’ll highlight a few of their suggested actions for us grown-ups:
- Make sure your voice is heard by registering to vote. Encourage friends and family to do the same.
- Send a message to your representative telling them that Title IX needs to protect LGBTQ+ youth.
- Write a letter to your former school administrators to tell them how inclusion in school would have mattered to you.
- Get your employee resource group (ERG) involved by reaching out to corporatepartnerships@glsen.org.
- Volunteer your time or become a member at your local Chapter.
To these I’ll add: Speak out against school-related anti-LGBTQ laws and bills in your state, and contact your legislators about them. As of this writing, the ACLU is tracking 192 such bills across the U.S. (and not just in states with conservative reputations). The 58 bills that have been defeated should give us hope—while the 134 that are still active or have become law should motivate us to keep fighting.
May we lift our voices today and every day for inclusion, understanding, and justice.