The DHS Gay-Straight Alliance club participated in the National Day of Silence on April 22 to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ discrimination. LGBTQ+ students and allies all around the world take a vow of silence for the day to protest the harmful effects of the harassment and discrimination of queer people in schools.

GSA Sponsor and teacher Nathan Whitman

Why is this important to you?

“The National Day of Silence is important because it draws attention to the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals and their contributions to everyday life. It is a stark reminder of how violence and discrimination can silence voices that make our world a better place. This can be quite telling in a school setting when students choose to take a vow of silence: how much is lost from the class conversation? It should make people think about all their friends, family, acquaintances, classmates, and teachers.”

What would you tell people who think the LGBTQ+ community receives too much attention or that it’s unnecessary? 

“For those who think that the LGBTQ+ community is receiving too much attention or that attention to its struggles is unnecessary, one need only look to the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in so many state governments to know that our voices are needed now more than ever. Furthermore, consider how many books with LGBTQ+ characters or themes are challenged or removed from public school libraries. The active attempts by so many to erase or even acknowledge the humanity of LGBTQ+ people is evidence enough that we still have much to do as a nation and world for LGBTQ+ rights.”

Junior Tegan Parker

What made you want to participate in the day of silence?

​​”What made me want to participate is having siblings who are being mistreated for being bisexual,” junior Teagan Parker said.

Why is this important to you?

“It’s important because everyone should be treated equal no matter what they are or the people they are into,” junior Teagan Parker said.