Letter to the Editor: Gay rights and the Day of Silence
Michaela Graham
Issue date: 4/13/07 Section: Opinion
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The idea behind Day of Silence is to echo (ironic, isn't it?) the silence the GLBT community faces. In one way this silence is that of their daily lives. In a world that is making steps toward tolerance and eventually toward acceptance, many still live in fear of being who they truly are. These individuals assume a mask of societal norms and are silent about who they really are, whom they love and sometimes even what gender they really are.
If that is not enough, when the GLBT community experiences hate crimes or discrimination they are often met with silence from those in power who can do something about it. This salt in the wound is unsupportable, even if you don't agree with the way the GLBT community lives.
It is not right for anyone to be deprived of rights, hurt emotionally or physically, tortured or even killed. The fact that this happens already mars humanity's record, but the fact that these hateful acts are being met with silence is unsupportable. No one's pain or even death should be left unpunished. Even if society is not exactly a GLBT haven, the members of the community are people, too.
Day of Silence is observed on high school and college campuses nationwide. The united silence of students will poignantly illuminate the lack of caring and justice that is represented by unpunished crimes. GLBT, allies and informed citizens alike are joining forces to end the discrimination and ignorance.
It is important that all of us here at Gonzaga participate. In a part of the country that is well-known for its lack of warmth toward the GLBT community, it is especially important to show that as good human beings we can be tolerant, maybe even accepting, of others' differences and stand up to those who act hatefully. While Gonzaga has made steps toward being a friendlier place for the GLBT community, we too have had our stumbles. To show that our campus will not tolerate hate and discrimination we need to join together on this day in silence.
To deny this movement and ignore or mock the silence is to condone hate and the allowance of it. Even if you can't be silent the whole day, try. Even if you can't manage any silence, support those brave and strong enough to do it on April 18.
Michaela Graham is a freshman at Gonzaga.