Day of Silence...sortof

Last Friday was the Day of Silence. I was home all that day, so you didn't know I wasn't talking.

But what, you ask, is the Day of Silence? I'm so glad you asked!

This year was the 13th annual Day of Silence. It began at the University of Virginia in 1996 in the hopes of creating a safe school space for all students, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. The goal is to draw attention to efforts made by students, faculty, staff, administration, or whoever to prevent violence and bullying directed toward GLBTQ students.

The way it works is simple: Participants take a vow not to speak for that day. Often they carry cards explaining the purpose of their silence. The goal is to be educational without being confrontational. Last year, when I was a high school English teacher in Brooklyn, NY, I managed a full day of freshman and sophomore classes without talking. Many of my students participated enthusiastically, and it was largely successful. My students took their place among the hundreds of thousands of kids who participated, in more than 8,000 schools.

Although each year's Day of Silence is always in honor of all students who face bullying, last year's was dedicated specifically to the memory of Lawrence King, a California middle school student who was gunned down at school by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. This year we honored Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, an 11-year-0ld boy in Massachusetts. Carl hanged himself earlier this month to escape the constant bullying of his classmates and the tacit approval of his teachers. He did not identify as gay or trans, but the hatred was too much for him.

I did not hear anything about a Day of Silence at UB, although I was not on campus last Friday, and may have missed it. I suspect this is because there is not much in the way of a cohesive and connected queer student community. The UB Law School has a group called OUT Law, which is presumably GLBTQ-oriented, but that is, to my knowledge, the sum of queer student organization here. I would love to be wrong -- if you know something I don't, please share.

This is not UB's fault, certainly. Not only is our school part of the Maryland system, which bars discrimination based on sexual orientation, but also UB has struck me so far as a tolerant and open institution, welcoming and inclusive to everyone.

This means it's up to us. I propose that those of us who are GLBTQ University of Baltimore students find ourselves a faculty advisor and organize. I whole-heartedly invite straight students to join us as allies.

For more information, check out the GLSEN site, or email me via the link on my blogger profile page.