NEWPORT, R.I. – Salve Regina University’s fourth annual Day of Silence will be held Tuesday, April 17 to bring attention to anti-LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) name-calling, bullying, labeling and harassment in schools.
Sponsored by the university’s Gay-Straight-Lesbian-Bisexual Alliance, the day will culminate with a “Breaking of the Silence Celebration” from 5:45-6:45 p.m. in the Mercy Center for Spiritual Life, located in the ground floor of Our Lady of Mercy Chapel on Ochre Point Avenue.
Information packets will be available for students to pick up from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in both Miley Hall and O’Hare Academic Center.
To participate in the Day of Silence, Salve Regina community members will wear a ribbon and carry an information card that reads: “Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices.”
Founded in 1996, the National Day of Silence has become the largest single student-led action towards creating safer schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Each year the event has grown, and now hundreds of thousands of students participate to encourage schools and classmates to address the issue of anti-LGBT behavior.