Day of Silence
Last updated February 25, 2021
Date Started
1996
Organizer
Maria Pulzetti; eventually in partnership with and then absorbed by the current organizer, GLSEN
Hashtags
#dayofsilence
When
Day varies year-to-year based on the school calendar
History and Background
The Day of Silence was created by Maria Pulzetti, who was a student (University of Virginia) at the time, in 1996. Maria wanted to do something that would impact many of her fellow students and would raise the visibility of BGLAD (bisexual, gay, and lesbian awareness days) week. At the time, she felt that panel discussions and conferences would only spread awareness to those who were willing to attend, and therefore fairly aware of bullying and harassment of the LGBT community. A year later in 1997, this day went national and over a hundred universities began participating.
The Day of Silence is a day that is celebrated in April in the United States and is celebrated on a yearly basis. It’s an observance day that is used to spread awareness about bullying and its effects on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. It was originally created in the 1990s but participation quickly spread to over 100 colleges and universities in its first year. Today, almost 10,000 schools participate in The Day of Silence. The events that occur on this day are currently organized by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, otherwise known as GLSEN. The day in April on which The Day of Silence changes from year-to-year.
How to Participate
You can participate by visiting the organizer’s website for various materials and the current year’s campaign theme. If your campus has an LGBTQ group, encourage them to organize events throughout the week and register through the organizer’s website. It’s common to have a “Break the Silence” event at the end of the week to celebrate the work accomplished. If you’re on social media, use the current year’s hashtags and campaign photos to spread the word and encourage others to do the same.