The Palo Alto High School Gender Sexuality Alliance is calling for more awareness surrounding LGBTQ+ rights after hosting the Day of (No) Silence event on April 12 to speak out against hate.
Day of (No) Silence is a national, student-led event where students participating choose not to speak throughout the day and unite during lunch to “break” their silence by yelling. The event has traditionally been the “Day of Silence,” where students silently protested, but has been renamed this year to “Day of (No) Silence,” due to the plethora of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation introduced this year according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Freshman Colten Migliore, co-president of the Paly Gender Sexuality Alliance, said he organized the event to raise awareness around the silencing of LGBTQ+ individuals and encourage students to actively speak out against LGBTQ+ hate.
“My hope is that students become more aware of how their actions affect people around them,” Migliore said. “An offhand remark to a friend can make the learning environment less safe for all involved.”
According to Education Week, in the United States more than 68 percent of students who identify as LGBTQ+ feel unsafe at school. With the rising hate and legislation against the LGBTQ+ community, Migliore says that being conscious about our words and actions are very important.
“There’s a lot to learn and it’s different from what most of us have been taught our whole lives,” Migliore said. “Check your own unconscious biases and privilege, and be willing to learn from your mistakes.”
Freshman Darah Katz, who attended the event said that it is especially important to be mindful of peers to create a safe school environment.
“So I know, obviously, we live in a pretty great community,” Katz said. “There’s a lot of other places in the US where it’s a lot worse for LGBTQ people. I’ve heard a lot of people here at Paly use ‘gay’ as an insult and other similar things, and it makes me really uncomfortable.”
Migliore says Paly GSA Club hopes to host the Day of (No) Silence next year to continue rallying for the LGBTQ+ community.
“The day is unique because it not only impacts our school but unites people across the world,” Migliore said. “Additionally, we are hoping to highlight LGBTQ+ voices throughout the year in an effort to end the silence.”