Friday, April 15 was the GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) Day of Silence in middle schools and high schools across the world. Many Coronado students participated schoolwide. The goal of the event was to raise awareness for youth in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community who are bullied in school because of their identities. These children may feel that they have no voice, and the vow of silence that is taken is meant to represent their struggle. About 8 out of 10 LGBT students are still harassed in school because of sexual or gender identity. This is why this event was important to the school, and to the community as a whole.

GLSEN is an organization that teaches students and administration to be more accepting of LGBT students, and has had important impacts in many federal acts, including the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act. These laws state that students may not be discriminated against or withheld from basic rights based on sexual orientation or gender identity. They also work against “No Promo Homo” laws, which are laws that prevent teachers from providing information on homosexuality, or force them to paint homosexuality in a poor light. Examples of this include Alabama’s state law, which states that “homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under the laws of the state.” Currently, there is much debate in North Carolina over whether or not Transgender people can use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. All over the country, these issues are being brought to light, and The Day of Silence is just one more way to do that.

Avery Young, 9, is the current president of Coronado’s GSTA. He says that “The Day of Silence is to show solidarity with people who aren’t able to speak out for themselves, but while I personally don’t think that silence is the best way to show this, it’s still shocking for people to not be able to speak. And it isn’t about silence itself, it is about the metaphor of silence.” Overall, he is proud of how this year’s day of silence went, and is looking forward to changing the day of silence at Coronado for next year. He hopes to focus less on silence, and encourage conversation and education on the topic.