A lot of people do not know the purpose of Day of Silence, which is a movement we celebrate during April at our school. It is an important day for anyone to learn about, and because a lot of students do not know anything about Day of Silence, here’s a short exposition.

The History

In 1996, several Virginia college students organized a nonviolent protest representing the silence and bullying LGBTQIA2S+ students have to suffer through. Two years later, Day of Silence became a national holiday falling on April 12th. Tons of colleges participate, which has spread to other schools including high schools like our own. 

How we celebrate it at HMHS

You may have noticed that some students weren’t participating in class or they wore a lanyard saying they support Day of Silence. This is because those students were taking part in a national movement to physically stay silent during Day of Silence. These students could consider themselves a part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, or just want to support them, which is called being an “Ally”. You also might’ve noticed that some teachers and other classmates were wearing a supportive lanyard saying they support the movement, but because they have to speak during the day, they cannot participate. Any student can wear either lanyard, completely depending on their comfort level. Both lanyards are a simple way of saying you want to end the bullying of LGBTQIA2S+ students in America.

What is Noise at Noon?

On Day of Silence at lunch at our school, the participating students break their silence for a celebration of themselves or their LGBTQIA2s+ friends. You may have seen bands playing, people singing, poems being read and more to represent that LGBTQIA2S+ students should not have to be silent about their identity during school. Anyone can attend the fun and anyone can perform as well.

I believe that everyone should participate in in Day of Silence in some way, even if they don’t want to be silent.