On National Day of Silence, light is shed on the LGBTQPIA community and the emotions which people who are bullied for their sexual orientation feel.

“Day of Silence is about recognizing differences, being accepting towards others, and showing how uncomfortable it is when [bullied people] do not feel accepted,” Vice President of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance Maggie Clark said.

“The silence is symbolic of people who are bullied. They feel that they can’t speak out about it,” junior GSA member Amber Skarjune said.

Every year, the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) organizes Day of Silence nationally and GSAs around the country promote it at their middle and high schools.

However, this year Day of Silence fell on April 11, when there was no school. Many GSA students took time out of their day to remember Day of Silence

Clark participated during school before the actual Day of Silence. “I thought it would be more impactful to be silent at school,” she said.

On the formal Day of Silence, Clark took a moment to recognize it. Skarjune acted similarly saying, “I did spend some time to remember it and internalize it.”

“Your voice is really powerful,” Clark said. Having your voice taken away means that you are unable to convey your feelings about your experiences. Hoewever, Day of Silence allows one to feel new experiences.

“Being silent is kind of like going into their shoes about not being able to talk about yourself and everything,” Skarjune said.

Junior GSA member Evan Leduc hopes that Day of Silence increased awareness saying, “I’d like everyone to be aware of those who are silenced, and I want people to know how that may or may not affect people in our larger community.”

Leduc knows multiple people, outside of the SPA community, who have experienced the feeling of being silenced literally and figuratively. He feels that Day of Silence accurately shows the emotions that someone who is bullied experiences.

The silencing effect can happen to anyone, and it does happen in SPA classrooms. “If anyone thinks there are issues with gender and sexuality at SPA, than there clearly are,” junior Jonah Mische said.

When people are too shy or express contradictory ideas about their experiences with gender and identity in and out of school, they are often shut out of the discussion or labeled over-sensitive.

“It [Day of Silence] can really apply to anyone and it does not matter who you are. It’s about being silenced because of a certain way that you identify,” Skarjune said.

Day of Silence is an eye-opening way for people to learn and understand what it feels like to be bullied and silenced.