National Day of Silence 2015

Friday, April 17th, was the National Day of Silence. During the Day of Silence, students could choose to take a vow of silence for all or part of the day in support of ending anti-LGBT bullying.

This student-led action took place in thousands of schools across the nation: middle schools, high schools, and colleges alike. The Day of Silence is the largest student-led action towards creating safer schools for every student, regardless of sexual identity, gender identity, or gender expression.

Penn’s Gay Straight Alliance supported Penn’s Day of Silence efforts. Students participating could pick up a gold Day of Silence card in the commons between 7:45 and 8:20 am on Friday morning that they could display throughout the day. This gold card read:

“Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you ARE NOT hearing today. DayofSILENCE.org”