Today marks the 12th observance of
the national Day of Silence, a project by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network (GLSEN) to bring national attention to the harassment
experienced by LGBT students.
On the Day of Silence, LGBT students
and their supporters refrain from speaking in protest of anti-gay harassment.
This year, more than 500,000 students at nearly 4,000 K--12 schools, colleges
and universities are expected to participate.
Despite efforts such as this to
boost awareness, experts say many LGBT youth still find themselves the target of
harassment and bullying. In the United States, four out of five LGBT
students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school, and more than
30 percent report missing a day of school in the past month out of fear for
their personal safety, according to GLSEN's 2005 National School Climate Survey,
the latest year for which this information is available.
"The 2005 National School Climate
Survey reveals that anti-LGBT bullying and harassment remain commonplace in
America's schools," says Kevin
Jennings, founder and executive director of GLSEN.
According to the study, more than 75
percent of students said they experienced verbal abuse and were often called
"faggot" or "dyke." Nearly 40 percent of students participating in the 2005
survey said they have experienced physical harassment.
This year's Day of Silence will
commemorate the recent death of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old student from
California, who prosecutors say was shot and killed because of his orientation
by a classmate on Feb. 12.
"Young people from across the
country have heard about this horrible tragedy and are coming together on the
Day of Silence to show their support for safe schools for all students,"
Jennings, told 365Gay. "The Day of Silence brings hope to hundreds of thousands
of students that their schools and their world can be safer and more tolerant
places."
Celebrities Lance Bass, former
member of rock group N'SYNC, and Larry King have both issued public-service
announcements condemning violence against LGBT youth.
Officials at a Chicago-area high
school made headlines when they tried to ban a student from wearing an anti-gay T-shirt in protest of the
school's honoring the Day of Silence. But this week, a federal appeals court
ruled that the student had a First Amendment right to wear the T-shirt, which
read: "Be Happy, Not Gay."
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