The common metaphor “Silence is golden” means it is better to be silent than to speak. Sometimes silence is louder than the words of a bully.

The National Day of Silence is on April 11. Established nearly 20 years ago, the Day of Silence is a day for people to pledge silence against the constant harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students.

The Day of Silence started in 1996 at the University of Virginia; it has since grown into a nationwide movement.

The goal of the Day of Silence is to create a safe environment for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. It is to make everyone feel comfortable with who they are.

According to Mrs. Jessica Dillon, the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) advisor, at least 40 students asked for Day of Silence permission forms. Dillon believes that LGBT bullying is a daily issue at LHS.

According to BRIM, anti-bullying software for schools, “students heard anti-gay slurs such as ‘homo,’ ‘faggot’ and ‘sissy’ about 26 times a day on average, or once every 14 minutes.”

FCPS has a clear anti-bullying policy, yet bullying happens anyway. Most bullying happens out of sight of teachers, often on the Internet and over text messages.

NOBullying.com gives some statistics about cyberbullying:

• 7 in 10 young people are victims of cyberbullying

• 37% of them are experiencing cyberbullying on a highly frequent basis

• 20% of young people are experiencing extreme cyberbullying on a daily         basis

If a student feels threatened by another, or if someone observes bullying, that person can fill out a Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Form. FCPS will follow up with a report.

Not all bullying and harassment situations are brought to the school’s attention. Many students feel threatened that if they tell administration, the harassment will increase.

GSA President Jackie Brinkmann said people who are LGBT are silent about who they are they are not really being themselves. Most LGBT students hide their sexuality behind their silence.

If people are not themselves because they are silent, then who are they?

Dillon was inspired by a student in her previous school to become the GSA advisor. There was a boy who was open about his sexuality and wasn’t ashamed of it. He was both physically and emotionally abused by his peers. Dillon became the voice for him by becoming the GSA advisor and continuing advising at Linganore.