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Anybody Else Preparing For Day Of Silence?
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Day Of Silence?It's a worldwide day of silence, quite literally, to honor the silence brought upon the LGBTQ community by harrassment and etc.
Here is the official website:
http://dayofsilence.org/
It's April 15th. This year, it's a Friday.
Not sure what but I'll mark it some way. A subject that's very important to me. Thanks for bringing it up HH and planning all ready. I hope more people will join us.
Thank you for highlighting the forthcoming 'Day of Silence'. I must admit that until you opened this discussion thread Hiddenheart, I was unaware of the event.
I have appreciated the opportunity to find out more as I think the Day of Silence in schools and amongst students does not receive much emphasis and support over here in the U.K. It seems that the Day is a more of a national Silence than a worldwide one. I will definitely do some research to find out if there is a British equivalent.
I have looked at the website and I agree with Debbie that 'silencing' is such an extremely complex and powerful issue, and I utterly support the peacefulness of such a protest, but I do have questions about the effectiveness of Silence. As a minority voice, I believe that we need to find more ways in which to speak and be our own truths. So, on the day in question, despite the fact that I am not a student, despite the fact that I am not a U.S. citizen, I will certainly spend some time acknowledging the silence brought upon our LGBTQ community by harrassment and homophobic bullying however in addition to respectfully marking the day with this symbolism, I will also immerse myself in some creative writings which offer me another channel through which I am able to speak my own truth.
I am very interested to keep following this thread. I would love to learn more about how the Day of Silence is planned and hosted in the U.S.
This year's Day Of Silence, I think is the 16th annual event. So, in measures of time, it hasn't really been around as long as other movements have.However, the silence is normally a pretty controversial thing, at least where high school is concerned. To opt not to speak, especially in classes like Foreign Language, Theatre/Drama, and Choir, where speaking is necessary, does show the teachers that we mean something. However,it does cause many problems. In a small town, it's so "odd" and controversial, that people don't readily accept it. So, we have run into problems before. I've been doing it since 6th grade, and I can't remember a year when we didn't have problems.
But, whether good or bad, it leaves people talking. :)
Thanks for taking the time to share a little more about your own experiences of the Day of Silence. It is certainly remarkable that you were observing the silence at such a young age (age 11, yes?) - an age at which in the U.K. when I was a child, sex and sexuality education was barely being taught, so engaging in a discussion (or indeed a silence) concerning homophobic bullying was way off my school's agenda. I can empathise with the difficulties and the attitudes you come up against.
Raising awareness about homophobic bullying and harrassment is so incredibly important, in both schools and the workplace, and the very fact that it is now being discussed and tackled on the school curriculum is certainly a change for the better. Your involvement, like that of hundreds and thousands of students, with the DoS movement are evidence of this change! :)
I realise that there is still an incredibly long path of LGBTQ activism ahead of us and therefore I am able to acknowledge just how controversial such a protest can be, so Hiddenheart I really hope that this year your Day of Silence will encounter less "problems" than in previous years. This would give me hope...
I celebrate the very fact that the silent protest instigates discussion and I look forward to dropping by this space nearer the time and afterwards in order to find out more about how it all works out for you in your local community.
It is a VERY good idea, though unfortunately if you make your living in a customer service field, not very practical.. I think my boss would force me to talk!
We have a few teachers here that wil cause problems, although there are more that agree with us, than are against us.However, the admin has guaranteed us, that unless we do anything vulgar (I mean, we can't pass a note up to the front of the room that say F-You I'm not talking) we will not be penalized. So, that's a good thing.
I'm hoping that this year will be more productive than previous years. I'm going all out. I ordered a t-shirt and I have red tape all ready, plus numerous articles of red, black and rainbow clothing. :)
Matthew wrote: "...silence can be very loud, ya know?...when you're silent and people notice and know why you're being silent, it has the potential to make a loud statement..."You make a very pertinent point here, Matt. In the right context the sound of silence can become rather deafening.
Hiddenheart wrote: "I'm going all out. I ordered a t-shirt and I have red tape all ready, plus numerous articles of red, black and rainbow clothing"So, in addition to being silent, you indicate your participation in the protest by wearing predominantly red? I saw the t-shirts and tape on the website. Great idea. If you feel able to, would you please take some photos during the day in question and share them here too, Hiddenheart?
I have participated in Day of Silence activities in the past. It's a very powerful event. I did it as a TA. That day we all ate together at the same silent tables in cafeteria. It made a huge statement.
Fiona wrote: "Hiddenheart wrote: "I'm going all out. I ordered a t-shirt and I have red tape all ready, plus numerous articles of red, black and rainbow clothing"So, in addition to being silent, you indicate..."
Fiona,
Yes, we wear red, black, and rainbow. Our main piece is a small speaking card that we wear, but it's only about the size of an index card, so it doesn't make much of statement. So, we wear clothing and symbols that represent us, to be a little more "out" (no pun intended :) ).
The red tape started when the event started. People wore it over their mouths, to really apply the silence. Unfortunately, in schools, that poses a health issure, so we stopped doing it a few years ago. But, we still wear the tape on our clothing, etc. I think that I will probably be the one that is the most outgoing about the event this year. I'm happy to support such a cause, especially when I'm fighting for it myself. :)
Hiddenheart wrote:...I will probably be the one that is the most outgoing about the event this year. I'm happy to support such a cause, especially when I'm fighting for it myself. :)"I have great respect for you and the extent of your activism, Hiddenheart. I had considered that the tape might be used across the mouth in order to symbolise the silence more dramatically. Thanks for explaining a little more about how you plan to make yourself seen and heard next Friday. You are not alone with your fight; I support you.
I just wanted to drop by this space before I sign out for the day to let you know that you'll be very much in my mind tomorrow; Hiddenheart, and all of my fellow Queereaders and friends in the U.S who will be participating in the Day of Silence, I stand (across the pond) beside you in solidarity...
Thanks for the support everybody. We are so close, and we are anticipating a lot. We will have an approximate count of participants today. I will try to update tomorrow. Thanks lots!
Hi everybody! We had a large turnout so far. Over a hundred people I'm guessing. That's an eigth of our school population. We've had numerous sales of shirts, wristbands, and buttons. Things are going really well, so far. We've had a few "children" to deal with, but we expected that. My computer is down at the moment, but I'll try to keep an update going througout the day using the school computers. Again, thanks for all the support, and take a moment of silence sometime during the day! :)
Hi everyone! Just reviewing yesterday. Overall, not too bad. We had two specific "resistance groups" that we had to deal with. One included people wearing shirts that stated SILENCE IS A COPOUT. These people were told by the administration that they should not wear the shirts because it would cause major problems with other people. The other group included people wearing signs proclaiming PRAY THE GAY AWAY. These people were more concerned with chastising the participants with either being LGBTQ or supporting a sinful cause. Oddly enough, things got physical this year. Several people, myself included, had incidents of people trying to tear our tshirts, rip off out pledge cards, and remove the tape from our clothes. After the school day was over, we all gathered in the school's Media Center for our "breaking of the silence". Needless to say, it was quite loud. :). During our lunch periods, our Media Center specialist, who was also taking the vow of silence, closed the MC to everybody except DOS participants and people who wanted to remain silent, and showed the Matthew Sheppard story. After school, when we all came together, the real experiences of the day came through. We spoke about everything of the day: how we felt, what other people did and said, etc. We also watched a short movie about a gay student who committed suicide because of the bullying and harassment he received. We were shocked at not only the amount of people participating, but the large number of insults and incidents that occurred. I believe that it was a productive day. With the large number of people silent, others really took notice of what was going on. Even some teachers stepped in to wear ribbons and defend students even though they weren't taking the vow themselves. I'm hoping that things will improve next year for the day as more people realize its purpose and the impact is has.
Thanks again for all the positivity and support. Even though the method may seem a bit odd, the effects and results are undeniable.
Thanks again! :)
That is very inspiring. Thanks for your courage and for reporting back to us.Matt
No problem. Thanks for all the support everybody!
Hiddenheart, your experiences during the DoS sound incredible; I can hear just how powerful your silence was.My imagination was flooded with colours when you spoke of the "breaking of the silence" in your above post!
I'm going to try to get my hands on a copy The Matthew Shepard Story but I am almost certain that it is not available as a Region 2 DVD, so I think it will be more likely that I'll rent The Laramie Project instead.
Fiona wrote: "Hiddenheart, your experiences during the DoS sound incredible; I can hear just how powerful your silence was.My imagination was flooded with colours when you spoke of the "breaking of the silen..."
Fiona,
I've seen both videos and they are both great, but stomach churning, considering the situations.
Out breaking of the silence was a lot of fun this year. Normally, we go outside, but this year we stayed in the Media Center. With 30+ people yelling all at once, it got quite loud.:) But, everything was definitely worth it.
Our office didn't participate in the Day of Silence, but sponsored a Diversity Day on the 15th instead. It was a bit of a cop-out, but I can totally appreciate the fact that the HR team wanted to focus on positive themes of acceptance and understanding. The sea of pink shirts around the office definitely put a smile on my face.
I wore my old SILENCE= DEATH shirt, thinking of you, Hiddenheart and also because I was getting ready to direct "To Kill a Mockingbird" that night at a middle school. (The guy who did our lights was silent at his school.) At my husband's school the principal/ superintendent sent around a message to teachers encouraging them to support students who were being silent. None of his students (9th, 11th, 12th graders) were silent, but he liked getting the message.
I personally chose not to participate in this years day of silence. I used to be an avid participant of this day, but I soon realized that by being silent for a day, all that we are doing is simply giving the prejudice exactly what they want, us to shut up. I understand the general message but I feel like that is overshadowed greatly by the level of prejudice that exists in this world.
Justin, I completely understand your point of view.
We had two students this year that decided to make t-shirts that said "silence is a coupout".
While I agree with your view, this one a day a year does make a difference. In our school, one-eighth of the population was silent for a day. This caused a bit of a raucous with the Foreign Language, Choir, and Drama departments. But, it showed how serious we are. People who run their mouths all day, taking a vow of silence, can be an extreme for some people.
I agree with your point, but on any other day. In my personal opinion, if enough people participate, it can make a huge difference.
Justin wrote: "I personally chose not to participate in this years day of silence. I used to be an avid participant of this day, but I soon realized that by being silent for a day, all that we are doing is simply giving the prejudice exactly what they want, us to shut up..."I am really interested in what you have to say on this topic, Justin. I would like to know more about what actually influenced your decision to stop participating in the Day of Silence. Perhaps you might share some of your thoughts and feelings here because like you (as expressed in my comment/message #5) I have concerns that this symbolic day of silence implicitely compounds the fear and shaming so many of us experience. I respect the choices made by people participating in the DoS however I feel as though I have made it clear that I do not stand alongside the protestors with my mouth kept tightly shut. I feel as though I need to find more ways, wider channels, through which I am able to articulate to my truth not censor and silence it. Do you understand?
Fiona wrote: "Justin wrote: "I personally chose not to participate in this years day of silence. I used to be an avid participant of this day, but I soon realized that by being silent for a day, all that we are ..."I completely agree. I do the opposite of this day. I express my homosexuality and support others. I stay as a support group for anyone who is troubled because I feel like that is the best way to help. Censoring ourselves is the complete opposite of effective in my mind. But I respect other's opinions and support people participating too.
Thanks for you response, Justin. It is great to stumble into another who has similar feelings. I would like to ask when you say you "do the opposite of this day" what exactly do you mean? I'd like to know more about the ways in which you offer a support group for your peers.
Fiona wrote: "Thanks for you response, Justin. It is great to stumble into another who has similar feelings. I would like to ask when you say you "do the opposite of this day" what exactly do you mean? I'd li..."I'm blunt about my homosexuality. I'm vocal about it and I tell people my views and if they don't like it? I don't care. They don't have to listen. And I'm just someone who they can come to talk to when they need someone who understands
Justin wrote: "I'm blunt about my homosexuality. I'm vocal about it and I tell people my views and if they don't like it? I don't care. They don't have to listen. And I'm just someone who they can come to talk to when they need someone who understands"I am glad that I have encountered your presence here - someone who seems to understand me. I find that Queereaders is such a safe and supportive space and that the voicing of views, thoughts and feelings here is always met with respect.
Thank you, Justin :)
Mod
I was just wondering if anybody else was preparing for Day Of Silence. Still 2 weeks away, but we've started preparing already. We had to make several "deals" this year:
1. Since the club is still sponsoring the event through the school, we are not allowed to do any "personal" sales or promotion.
2. The tape, well...we are allowed to have it, but can't wear it on our skin. This is one that we are trying to get people to see. We ARE allowed to wear it, but no skin contact.
3. We can't be too "forward" about it. We can't "push people to participate" (We never did in the first place, so I don't really see why this is an issue, but it was part of the deal).
4. For the first time, we have to have a set list of participants BEFORE the day comes. We've always had people show up the day of, that want to participate, and it's always been widely accepted just to have it kind of spur of the moment.
All this guarantees only that we will not be punished if somebody thinks that we are "out of line" for being quiet during one day of the year.
Doesn't protect us at all from others (which is going to happen, regardless of the day, but still).
Anybody else preparing, and running into any problems?