“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” -Elie Wiesel
The National Day of Silence isn’t just another date that represents a way for students to stand up against homophobia and bullying. This day allows students across the nation to remain silent in order to help others to understand just why it’s so crucial to speak up against homophobic bullying. When interviewed about what the day meant to her, junior Sage Seeley replied, “To me, Day of Silence is a day to respect those who had not found acceptance in society, but found cruelty. It’s a way for us to raise awareness to others of the importance of acceptance with our ‘silent protest’.”
The National Day of Silence occurs on April 19th of every year and anyone can participate. In fact, encourage participation; school wide participation forces people to realize that homophobic bullying is real, it’s oppressive and cruel, and it needs to be stopped.
Don’t expect the bullying to stop overnight, however. Nobody can convince a person to stop being homophobic in a day; it just isn’t realistic. A person can, however, educate others and help them along the path to accepting America’s gay brothers and sisters. Stereotypes exist because the person isn’t educated about the group he or she is stereotyping. Education is the main key in stopping homophobic bullying.
What everyone needs to understand is that it doesn’t work to scream the same ineffective message as what everyone’s heard their entire lives: “Don’t be a bully!” Instead, educate and enforce the education. Approach different social groups and discuss homophobic bullying, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Don’t settle for anything less than helping others understand that homophobic bullying is wrong and that having a different sexual orientation is okay.
Bullying is wrong in all forms, no matter your beliefs. When asked about how she felt about bullying, homophobic or otherwise, Seeley said, “It’s wrong, as is any other form of bullying. It’s completely immoral to deliberately make others feel inferior based off of something that they cannot change about themselves.” Furthermore, Junior Lydia Paulos supported Seeley’s response and said, “it’s totally wrong. It doesn’t logically make sense to me.” If a person truly believes that homosexuality is wrong, then bullying is definitely the incorrect form to convey that message.
For National Day of Silence, I dare you to make a change in the world; stay silent for those who have not found acceptance and stand up for their rights.