The Day of Silence and The Day of Truth

Today, thousands of high school and college students across the U.S. participated in the Day of Silence. The day was conceived in 1996 by a group of students at the University of Virginia in recognition for the need to support LGBT people (and their allies) in the silence the face as a result of discrimination and harassment. (Please click on the link for more information about the Day of Silence.) Silence is a powerful protest and with, according to the website, more that 450,000 students participating, a strong message has been sent.

Unfortunately, that message has been horribly and awfully skewed. According to the Alliance Defense Fund, they Day of Silence is attempt to push the homosexual agenda, to say that being gay is okay. So they started the Day of Truth. The Day of Truth is to take place tomorrow (4/14/05). Students participating will wear shirts that say "The Truth Cannot be Silenced." Presumably, that truth is that being Gay is akin to being evil and morally corrupt. I think the ADF is absolutely ridiculous. And as one of my colleagues (who happens to be a wonderfully faithful ... and married ... Christian woman) said, they are right wing nut jobs. She also said it made her ashamed to be part of the Christian faith. I couldn't agree more.

A student I work with discovered the Day of Silence and decided to put it to work on our campus. A small, but dedicated group of students participated in the day-long silence. Plus a few members of the faculty and staff (including my colleague of the "right wing nut job" fame) stood with us for a lunch-time silent gathering. That is what should be happening. Faculty and Staff at all schools should be creating safe places for their LGBT students and their allies. NO ONE should have to suffer discrimination and harassment. And to think that students who think homosexuality is morally wrong or students who just are not open minded never harass LGBT students is just plain WRONG. It happens and kudos to the students, faculty and staff who supported today's silence.

I learned about the super ridiculous Day of Truth from this article. Feel free to read it!

Last Words: Yay for the Day of Silence, booooooo to the ADF, I recommend SAFE ZONES!