Today, April 20th, 2012, is the annual Day of Silence (DOS). For those of you that don’t quite know what the DOS is all about, of don’t know exists at all; basically, the DOS is a day dedicated to shining a spotlight on the bullying, name calling, and physical harming of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders (LGBT). And no, this spotlight is not shining so brightly because the actions of those who abuse LGBTs is condemned, it’s actully quite the opposite. The silence practiced by believers and followers of the DOS is representative of the silence LGBTs feel everyday, how they feel they can’t be themselves because of societal standards.
One important fact to remember on the DOS is that it is your personal right to practice this. Whether you want to go midnight to midnight without talking, or just at school, it is your right and your freedom of speech, or in this case, your freedom NOT to speak.
Last year, here at BV West, our Gay-Straight Alliance handed out stickers to remind the teachers of those participating’s right to silence, they are unfortunately not doing that this year. In light of this, Dr. Lake has still decided to honor the individual’s rights and commitments to this day, so long as said individual, if asked by a teacher, still participates in class. It can be kind of hard to want to talk to your teachers if they ask you to, but the spirit of DOS is to know that you believe, and spread awareness to others, not to neccisarily stay silent all day long. As long as others know what you’re doing, you’re still spreading the word about it.