CNN —
Students across the country are speaking out on Friday in response to the laws that aim to restrict the rights and presence of LGBTQ Americans, after nearly three decades of holding monthly passive rallies to raise awareness for LGBTQ rights.
The “Day of Silence,” a yearly event where students take a vow of silence to protest the impact of homophobia and the LGBTQ voices who are marginalized by bullying, will change this year for the first time into a day of action known as the “Day of (NO) Silence.”
The student-led demonstrations are facilitated by GLSEN, a Gay education and advocacy group that works each year to stop homophobia and hatred in schools.
Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, senior director of the business, said from now on the occasion may encourage students to apply their voice to speak out against hatred and homophobia.
“The imperative to take actions has never been greater,” Willingham-Jaggers told CNN. With the Day of (NO) Silence, we are embracing a proactive stance by rising up and taking action, instead of just observing silence.
Individuals are encouraged to write their members to require changes to Title IX that would further safeguard LGBTQ youth by sharing their personal stories, voting, and registering to vote.
According to GLSEN, individuals who feel uneasy or uneasy can also choose to speak out loudly.
In 2023, at least 510 pro-Gay bills were introduced in position parliament, from the American Civil Liberties Union. In the 2024 legislative session, the organization is currently working on more than 480 charges that restrict LGBTQ rights.
In 2022, Florida Gov. Because it prohibited sexual orientation or gender identity instruction in all grades, Ron DeSantis signed the legislation that has since been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
The Florida Department of Education approved a proposed law that may extend that prohibition to all grade levels in the wake of a law that initially only made it illegal for individuals in kindergarten through third class to learn about sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms.
As much as it is not included in official training, the law was clarified last month and allows students and teachers to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
Cameron Driggers, a 19-yr-old queer freshman at the University of Florida, said he feels compelled to speak out because of the “Don’t State Gay” rules, not only for himself but for others.
According to Driggers, the anti-LGBT laws are “like having a destination on your back and knowing that you are the “other.”
“I just don’t accept that,” he told CNN. “It certainly doesn’t feel safe or comfortable living in a state that constantly targets my people, like me and my community”.
But, he added, the Day of (NO) Silence helps him to feel hopeful.
“I’m able to see a future that is much more, that’s democratic and actually works for all Citizens,” Driggers said.
Driggers said he intends to meet with another protesters in Orlando on Friday to talk about how they can organize for LGBTQ rights mobilization.
“I continue to assemble and give opportunities for young people to find trust in themselves so that they know what they’re fighting for is achievable and achievable,” he said.
People of the Congressional Equality Caucus, parents of LGBTQ students, and GLSEN organizers held a press conference Friday in front of the US Capitol to demand that diverse laws be put in place to protect Gay students.
Some of their Republican coworkers, who they consider to be anti-LGBT, were also criticized by politicians for supporting the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” which was passed by the GOP-led House final April and aimed to stop transgender girls and women from playing sports at officially funded institutions. The Senate that is Democrat did not vote on the bill.
To mark the annual Day of (NO) Silence, Democratic lawmakers also introduced a resolution to support the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative. Politicians said the decision was a “call to action to communities across the country to require similar education option, basic civil rights protections, and freedom from destruction” for all students in K–12 institutions.
Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat who co-sponsored the solution, said Democrats wanted to send a distinct message: politicians may keep LGBTQ children only.
“Leave the children alone. Let them be kids. Queer kids, straight kids, somewhere in between. They’re kids”, Schatz said during the news conference. “Let’ em study, let’ em go to school, let’ em walk to school, let’ em walk to the next class without being bullied or harassed”.
Silence speaks volumes
Maria Pulzetti staged a silent protest for LGBTQ rights at the University of Virginia in April 1996. She claimed that she had no way of knowing that her concept would eventually turn into a youth movement.
Pulzetti claimed that she was inspired to start the demonstration while taking a class on the Civil Rights Movement and that she wanted to use a non-violent method to bring attention to voices that were not being heard in her college community.
Students who took part in the class day kept silent the entire day and distributed cards to raise awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ community, such as homophobia and discrimination.
The following year, Maria and her classmate, Jesse Gilliam, expanded the “Day of Silence” to other college campuses. Students delivered speeches and poetry to mark the conclusion of the demonstration.
“Being silent itself has never been the goal, that’s always been a tactic”, Gilliam told CNN. The objective of my efforts was to show the world how significant the voices of LGBTQ youth are and how harmful homophobia and transphobia are to all of us.
Gilliam claimed that despite the silent protest’s success for many years, both he and Pulzetti are aware of the need for students to speak out, especially given the current circumstances.
Pulzetti said she’s heard from “many, many young people that the environment in schools right now– especially in states where there are so many of these anti-LGBT bills proposed or already made into law – is that people are frightened… And speaking out against that very loudly is extremely important.”
Republicans in North Carolina overrode the governor’s vetoes in August to pass a number of anti-LGBT laws that targeted transgender youth.
Sean Radek, an 18-year-old transgender high school senior in North Carolina, said he doesn’t feel safe living in the state.
“As a trans person, it really does scare me to stay here just because I’m not sure what my future holds with this state, but I don’t think it’s a very bright future”, Radek told CNN.
Kai, a 13-year-old transgender middle school student in the neighboring South Carolina, reported to CNN that they have been subject to bullying for more than a year and that it has had a detrimental impact on their mental health, forcing them to switch schools.
Kai claimed that if their school held an event, it would provide LGBTQ students with much-needed support and that they were unaware of the Day of Silence campaign.
“The fact that our school has never made us aware, for queer rights… It breaks my heart”, Kai said.
Kai’s mother, Amanda, said she’s also worried about her child’s safety and asked CNN not to use their last name. The family has even thought about leaving the state out of fear.
“Everyone in the United States is very afraid to send their kids to school right now because of school shootings and other things of that nature,” Amanda said.
“When you
have an openly queer child, you add to that fear. Think about poor Nex Benedict… I’m so terrified that I’m gonna be that next parent that gets that phone call”.
Nex Benedict, a nonbinary high school 10th grader in Oklahoma, they told their family they were involved in a fight at school.
Willingham-Jaggers reported hearing from a number of educators and students who are embracing the transition from silence to action during the protest this year.
“LGBTQ+ students have been silenced for too long”, Willingham-Jaggers said. Zess of thousands of students have taken part, and we anticipate that this year will be our most successful in recent memory.
