Day of Silence is a national event in which students can take a pledge of silence to acknowledge the verbal discrimination against those in the LGBTQ community. Saint Anselm’s Core Council for LGBTQ students & ally support will have a table in Davison to encourage students to participate.

As stated on the Day of Silence organizational web page: “The Day of Silence’s purpose is to bring attention to anti-LGBTQ name-calling, bullying and harassment and effective responses. The goal of the Day of Silence is to make schools safer for all students…”

The Core Council suggested these four ways to participate in the Day of Silence: choose to participate in the Day of Silence by wearing red; pledge a chosen number of hours to be silent; pledge to be a vocal ally; or encourage “actions that the campus can take to use words that build up our community rather than tear down or marginalize parts of it.”

A flyer made by Fenway Health states that 8 out of 10 students have been “verbally harassed.” The same flyer also says that 80% of transgender students “reported feeling unsafe at school because of their gender expression.”

Similarly, GLSEN’s 2009 National School Climate Survey discovered that “9 out of 10 students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and more than 30% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety.”

Members of the Core Council hope to spread awareness of the fact that not all people in the LGBTQ community have the ability to raise their voices against the many instances of homophobia, which are sometimes experienced daily.

Haley Lyons ’19 said, “Day of Silence is an important event to raise awareness about the LGBTQ community on campus and the issues that they encounter. At a time when members of this community feel silenced, it is fundamental to recognize the daily struggles that the community faces. To give a voice to those who feel voiceless is what this day aims to do and I’m glad to take part in it.”

“We hope this awareness will continue to build a community of respect, love and kindness,” said the Core Council’s email to the student body. “Please join us in whatever way works for you.”

There will be tables in the Davison dining hall on Friday, April 21, with more information and ribbons that students can wear to show support and solidarity.