On a spring day in 1996, University of Virginia freshman Maria Pulzetti submitted a paper on nonviolent protests and began to devise a plan. The assignment was for Professor Julian Bond’s course on the Civil Rights movement, where he detailed firsthand accounts of student-led nonviolent protests for Civil Rights in the 60s. His stories captivated Pulzetti and her classmate Jesse Gilliam, who were notably passionate about equity and justice, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community. Impressed and inspired by their professor’s work, the students dedicated the next few weeks to organizing what they called a “day of silence”: an attempt to spotlight the harassment and bullying faced by many LGBTQ+ individuals.
The 24-hour commitment not to speak was successful, to say the least, quickly catching the attention of UVA administrators, LGBTQ+ students, and eventually, the entire nation. Over 150 students participated that year, and in 1997, students from nearly 100 different schools joined the protest. In 2001, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) became the official sponsor of the National Day of Silence. Now, more than twenty years later, the protest occurs annually on the second Friday of April and boasts over 10,000 registered participants.
Along with sweeping over colleges every spring, the National Day of Silence sparks interest among younger students. Gilliam told “Into” Magazine, “The fact that it’s gone down to high schools and middle schools shows that the dialogue about LGBTQ issues is not as silent anymore.” Although Ashland High School is not an official registrant, some Grizzlies choose to take the vow of silence. “I think it can be a very valuable tool in some settings,” commented Anna Gutrich, AHS’s Queer-Straight Alliance President. The club no longer participates in the protest – she says that since most QSA members are members of the LGBTQ+ community, “the day generally just turned out as Queer people being silent, which is similar to the historically oppressed experience of Queer people that we are actively moving out of.”
As productive as the protest and others like it are, sexuality and gender identity-based bullying in schools continues to target students all over the world. In 2020, the CDC released new data that detailed disproportionate numbers of bullying, suicide attempts, and threats to LGBTQ+ youth compared to cisgender and/or heterosexual children and teens – about 34% of LGBTQ+ students reported being bullied on school property, while only 17% of straight and cisgender students did so. Here at AHS, there is certainly an attitude of acceptance toward all sexual orientations and gender identities, but that does not directly translate to exemption from bullying for our LGBTQ+ students. If you or a peer is experiencing unfair treatment because of your gender or sexuality, don’t hesitate to talk to a teacher or trusted administrator/adult.
Whether it be through speaking, writing, or a day-long devotion to silence, addressing the mistreatment of LGBTQ+ youth and adults is a critical prerequisite for creating a world where youth are free to express their gender and sexuality without facing repercussions. This April 8, consider taking action to promote positive change for LGBTQ+ students both at AHS and elsewhere.
