AU students showed their support for the LGBT community by holding a weeklong commemoration of “Day of Silence” from April 9 to 13.
Events included:
• Filming students’ stated commitment to LGBT rights in a “This Is Why We Fight” video,
• Tabling on the Quad,
• Giving out free T-shirts and bracelets and
• Holding a PRIDE Prom in the Katzen Rotunda on April 13.
Day of Silence is a “national, youth-run effort using silence to protest the actual silencing of LGBT people due to harassment, bias and abuse in schools,” according to the Day of Silence website.
“Day of Silence is a tradition at AU,” Student Government President Tim McBride said in an email to The Eagle.
The Residence Hall Association, GLBTA Resource Center, SG and Queers and Allies co-sponsored the week’s activities.
The week ended with PRIDE Prom, an event held in response to the discrimination students faced in their high schools. Many LGBT students were not allowed to bring their partners to prom, according to Rachel Fogel, deputy director of Queers and Allies.
“People really need to be able to have fun, people need to be able to meet people, and people need to be able to feel safe,” Fogel said.
Approximately 30 people turned up for the event, which ended around 11 p.m.
Event organizers decorated Katzen with rainbow-colored balloons. They also hung posters with students’ testimonials on why they supported Day of Silence.
Some of the handwritten responses included:
“Because I love my gay family – Jason”
“Because we all deserve to be exactly who we are – Anthony”
“Because people shouldn’t have to hide who they are for fear of bullying – Erin.”
LGBT advocacy has progressed on campus this year, McBride and Fogel said.
“Student Government has made significant progress through partnering with campus organizations like Queers and Allies and RHA,” McBride said. “The highlight of this year was the massive expansion of our campus’ Open Gender Housing option to include students of every academic year.”
Fogel said Queers and Allies focused on creating a community between LGBT students and their “allies” this year.
Along with that, “increased visibility was one of our largest goals this year,” she said.
In the future, Queers and Allies will work to create an “inter-college coalition within D.C.,” Fogel said. They have begun reaching out to students at George Washington University, the University of Maryland and Catholic University.
This coalition would allow students in the D.C. area to organize events and network, according to Fogel.
“This is an exciting and inspiring time for LGBT rights,” McBride said. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen significant progress in both the state and federal governments on issues ranging from marriage equality to employment non-discrimination.”
Last year’s effort did not go as well, according to Fogel. The events had lower student turnout because the events were not as well organized.
“This year we started a lot earlier and got a lot of organizations involved,” Fogel said.
In general, the response to “Day of Silence” has been very positive, according to Fogel.
“It was really nice even for us who are involved with Queers and Allies to see people today walking around that I’ve never even met before,” she said. “It was really nice to see that we have that kind of support in the community.”
