On April 27, the Gay-Straight Alliance hosted a “Day of Silence” to raise awareness for the bullying faced by the LGBT community. The national event, which is held every year in April, is sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Network. Participants took a vow of silence during the day, displaying a pink card explaining their reason for doing so when asked about their silence.

By being quiet, the participants hoped to bring attention to the silencing effect of bullying.

“People who choose to be silent symbolize those who can’t speak, because it’s dangerous or they’ll be made fun of,” GSA adviser and Spanish teacher Joyce Fortune said.

According to Fortune, GSA usually tries to inform the staff a month in advance to minimize disruptions. The club approached teachers and asked them to be aware of student participants, as they would not be able to speak in class. Because the national “Day of Silence” was April 20 this year, during spring break, GSA had to reschedule the event to April 27 so MVHS students could participate.

Both the club and Fortune hope that the “Day of Silence” will spark conversation about LGBT bullying.

“When I walked around, I saw lots of [pink] cards,” club president junior Erin Dowd said. “Because [MVHS] culture isn’t very open, I think [the event has] been successful.”

“It shows support for LGBT folks without saying ‘I’m such and such,’” Fortune said. “You can do it without statement about yourself.”

Dowd agrees.

“Even though some people pretend it doesn’t matter, it’s still an issue,” she said.” [For example], even though people joke around, it’s not okay [because] there might be people around in the closet, so [bullying] prevents expression [of their sexuality].”