Day of Silence

To commemorate the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's (GLSEN) Day of Silence, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth and allies worked to raise awareness about anti-LGBT bullying by not speaking. You can see some of the media coverage of the Day of Silence below.

Day of Silence begs the question: What will you do to end the silence? This is an important probe, especially when it comes to LGBT young people of color, as it asks for a unified front to battle the discrimination and bullying that LGBT youth endure in the school environment. Their safety and academic success is at risk due to fear of bullying and harassment.

An openly gay Ohio teen has filed a lawsuit against his high school for refusing to allow him to wear a t-shirt featuring a rainbow-colored fish and the words “Jesus is Not a Homophobe.” Maverick Couch first wore the t-shirt, and was told to remove it, during last year’s Day of Silence, a campaign organized by GLSEN to bring awareness to the silencing of LGBT students through bullying and harassment.