Making a statement: The Day of Silence is observed as part of MU’s Pride Month
Students at MU want their silence to be heard. A group of students refrained from speaking Tuesday in order to draw attention to their silence. The Day of Silence, sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center, was part of MU’s Pride Month. More than 75 students participated, remaining silent even in their classes and handing out flyers that explained their silence.
They are not speaking to represent all those who cannot speak for fear of discrimination. They are silent for all those who have been silenced by stigma, threats and assault.
Jim Holmes is one of the students who was “married” in a mock gay marriage two weeks ago. Holmes said that he’s put the newspaper photos of the ceremony on his dorm room door, only to have them repeatedly torn down.
“Now I have the definition of a hate crime on there,” he said. “We’ll see what happens with that.”
Daniel Vogt, Day of Silence coordinator, said that kinds of discriminating silence aren’t limited to intimidation of individuals.
“There are also many forms of silence forced upon people that are less obvious but just as harmful, such as laws that discriminate or prevent relationships, societal stereotypes and unequal poverty margins for minorities, just to name a few,” he said.
These quiet students were not only members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, but they represent any group that has been silenced by discrimination and all those who support them.
“I know more people who signed up because we are trying to be more inclusive,” Vogt said.
The Day of Silence was started at the University of Virginia-Arlington in 1996, with 150 students participating. The movement has grown with help from the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network and the United States Student Association, and now reaches middle schools and high schools. Silence in school, a place usually bursting with noise and discussion, is especially profound.
While it may seem strange, remaining silent to end the silence, Kevin Hallgren, a student organizer, said that actions, even silent ones, speak louder than words.
“Our silence is a loud way of showing that hatred and discrimination are unacceptable,” he said. “The method in its simplicity is an effective way to allow all sorts of individuals to get involved and show their support.”
Holmes and Vogt agree that words have become a weapon used against minority groups.
“When you are surrounded by people and a society that uses the words ‘gay’ to mean stupid and ‘straight’ to mean good, it is sometimes hard to speak up for yourself because there are so many people against you,” Vogt said.
Hallgren said that it is the unity of the movement that makes the Day of Silence an effective way to draw attention to discrimination against minority groups. “The participants in this event are all sorts of diverse people,” he said. “Many of them have experienced discrimination, many of them never will. They are all showing that they wish to fight discrimination... People participating come in all varieties, but they have this one uniting factor.”
Tuesday evening some of the participating students stood on the first floor of MU’s Arts and Sciences Building. The hallway was silent, despite being full of students in their black and white shirts honoring the day of silence. They motioned and waved, smiled and handed out yellow pieces of paper explaining their silence. At 5 p.m., Hallgren broke the silence with a greeting and began a session allowing participants to voice what they learned through their silence.
Each person introduced themselves to the group and explained one thing they learned from the experience. The group then split into two smaller groups for a mediated discussion. Some discussed how oppressed they felt without a voice while others joked about being unable to answer their cell phones.
Participant Athena Watts was ready for any calls. She said she changed her voicemail greeting to make friends aware of her decision not to speak. She said she encountered some who thought the silence was a joke.
“I’m not serious about a lot of things, but I was serious about this thing,” she said.
Beth Zalewski also encountered some who thought the event was a joke but then understood. She discussed how her best friend tried to get her to speak during their lunch.
“He thought it was a joke and thought it was funny, but after a while he started to think it was really cool,” she said.
Paul Lampe said the event made him realize the power of silence instead of speaking out against a cause.
“When you’re silent, people respect the fact that you care because it’s self-restraint,” he said.