Cami Moore-- National Day of Silence

Protesting discrimination, harassment, and abuse Utah State University’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Two-Spirit, and Allied students (GLBTA) Services have organized local “Day of Silence” events, a project of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

The event will be held April 25^th in the USU Taggart Student Center Patio and Sunburst and International Lounges during school hours. “Day of silence” is a national student-led event where all levels and ages of students band together to help bring about the awareness of the harassment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Ally (LGBTA) youth which is commonly overlooked.

Local Organizer Kevin Olsen, a freshman in Mechanical Engineering said, “The Day of Silence is especially relevant to USU, because it will help get our message out to a conservative campus that may not always recognize the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff.”

The Day of Silence will begin at 8:30 a.m. where students can go to the “safe place” and participate in the silence. There will also be counselors available, and a place for anyone to write down their thoughts or feelings, which will be kept confidential.

“I feel it is important to let students know that they have a safe place to come to should they need to talk,” said Professor Lisa Gabbert, an ally to the GLBTA on campus, “ Being an ally signals to students that sexual orientation is something that should not be signaled out for discrimination.”

Beginning at 3:30 p.m. participants will have a “Breaking of the Silence” after a countdown, similar to those that occur on New Year’s Eve, the crowd will make as much noise as they can releasing all of the tension and feelings they have kept silenced all day.

“I really think these issues affect everyone,” said USU’s GLBTA program coordinator Maure Smith, “We need to learn how to be in the world and to be kind and respectful to all people.”

On the two days before the event anyone can go sign up to be a participant on the USU Taggart Student Center Patio. There, they will pick up their speaking cards, stickers, and sign a participant contract.

“The day will highlight both the international and unintentional silencing of USU’s GLBTA population,” said Smith. “We hope that the event will work towards ending some of the silence and hatred students face.”

Throughout the Day of Silence participants will try to remain as silent as possible. They will be wearing shirts or have bright colored stickers which promote the National Day of Silence. The participants will also be carrying around “speaking cards” explaining the reason for their silence and passing them out to people all over campus.

The end of each participant’s speaking card reads, “Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?”