On Thursday, April 21, Tabor Academy’s Gay Straight Alliance hosts the annual Day of Silence. The Day of Silence is a national event started by GLSEN (the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network) that is designed to show support for members of the LGBT community who feel they need to keep part of their identity hidden in order to be accepted by the community.
Throughout the day, students and teachers can choose to wear a red ribbon, signifying that they will be silent. This silence mimics the feeling of suppressing how you feel or what you really want to say in order to be accepted by those around you. They can also opt to wear a white ribbon if they support the cause but do not wish to be silent.
The current leaders of the GSA, Olivia Kaszanek and Lulu Ward, are working with Grace Douvos and Emily Dineen, who plan to take over the club next year. The four of them have planned and organized the day together.
To raise awareness for the day and the cause, the GSA organized a “NOH8” (or “No Hate”) video. NOH8 is another national campaign against bullying and LGBT discrimination.
Tabor’s NOH8 video, following the model of the campaign, had volunteers get NOH8 painted on their cheeks and place duct tape over their mouths. Students and teachers took pictures, both individually and in groups, which will be used in a video shown at an All School Meeting to promote the day.
“To me,” said Douvos, a future GSA leader, “the Day of Silence is really about raising awareness of the silencing effect of anti-LGBT discrimination and supporting the LGBT community.” Her biggest hope is that after participating in the day, “People will more thoroughly understand what some LGBT people have to go through every single day,” and will want to be more involved in the GSA.
Kaszanek agreed, saying that it’s a “powerful day” in the Tabor community. She hopes it makes Tabor “a more open and accepting community” as they become aware of the many people who “struggle to stay silent about their sexuality, a huge part of their identity.”
In the past, many students and faculty members have chosen to stay silent or wear white ribbons to support the cause.
WARD, co-head of the GSA, says that this is one of her favorite events that the GSA hosts. The day is not about flashy fundraising or fun celebrations, which of course have their place. Rather, it is about the community coming together for a cause.
By Madeleine Gregory