Back in 1996, a hundred and fifty students at the University of Virginia banded together in a protest now known as the Day of Silence. Since then, students across the country have brought the movement into their own schools, and it is still going strong today. In fact, our own Millbrook High School participated just yesterday, Friday, April 21.

 So what is the Day of Silence? It is a student-led national event that protests the bullying of the LGBT community and its members. The purpose of keeping quiet throughout the day is to show how these voices are being silenced and beat down, and to get people to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior. Because there is a problem. Despite major strides in the right direction (legalized gay marriage!), there is still a long way to go for equality. This was made especially evident by North Carolina’s HB2 law, which, although repealed, shows how discrimination is still a major issue in America. This movement is now led by the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network, also known as GLSEN, who has sponsored the event since 2001.

 Bullying is a major problem, especially in the LGBT community. According to GLSEN, a huge 90% of students that associate with this community have reported being bullied because of sexual orientation or gender identity, and another 30% have reported missing school out of fear of being a target. Millbrook is not exempt, either. Many students feel targeted here as well. “I chose not to participate in the Day of Silence this year,” said Juliana Martinez, a junior, “I did it my freshman year and was called the f-word multiple times, and I get that enough as it is.” Moments like these are exactly why this protest is needed. Luckily, there are many students and faculty members here who are LGBT allies. During the Day of Silence, many teachers were accommodating and supportive; from lending out whiteboards and markers to communicate in class, or simply by making that extra effort to be patient enough to work with the students opting not to speak. Little actions of support such as these can make all the difference with a struggling student.