University Housing and the LGBTQA will sponsor the University’s Day of Silence today, culminating with Breaking the Silence: Celebrating Voices in the EMU Amphitheater at 4 p.m. with guest speakers including Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, Oregon Rep. Phil Barnhart and former Secretary of State Bill Bradbury.
The University is participating in the National Day of Silence, which began in 1996 and is organized by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). According to GLSEN, the Day of Silence is a way to shed light on the effect of bullying and harassment of LGBT students and is entirely student-led.
“The National Day of Silence means that we are supporting members of the LGBTQA community who don’t feel they can be out in their own communities yet,” said Day of Silence committee member and University senior Ross Logan. “Our silence symbolizes the silence they have to endure every day due to fear of homophobic remarks or even violence. It’s also a chance to come together as a community and stand up for what we believe is right, and put an end to the hatred in our community.”
Day of Silence committee member and University sophomore Travis Prinslow helped coordinate the Breaking the Silence rally.
“The Breaking the Silence event is probably one of the most important events because we’ve put a lot of time and effort into the event coordinating the speakers,” Prinslow said, adding that after the speakers, including Office of Student Life co-director Chicora Martin and Dean of Students Paul Shang, students have an open mic to share their experiences.
Prinslow views the Day of Silence as a way to also promote gay rights. He mentioned that after the graffiti swastika was found in the LGBTQA offices in early February, this year’s Day of Silence will have extra meaning.
“(I will be silent because) my friends are excluded from the right to call their loving, committed relationships ‘marriages,’” he said. “(This is) calling into question the validity of their relationships and creating a need to explain their loving, committed relationships.”
Aside from the Day of Silence events planned by University Housing, the LGBTQA is also hosting events with ties to the Day of Silence, specifically the Night of Noise on Saturday and the Queer Prom the following Saturday.
“This is a movement of identity to say just because we come from different backgrounds doesn’t mean that we can’t all come together under one cause of solidarity,” LGBTQA Co-Director Alex Esparza said.
LGBTQA Co-Director and University senior Daniel McCall, who has participated in the National Day of Silence since middle school, thinks both the Day of Silence and Queer Prom have similar messages.
“It’s tied together because it’s a way for queer students to carve out a space for themselves and feel empowered to combat the pressure that they have been feeling,” McCall said.
McCall added that being silent is always a challenge, and people are encouraged to at least participate in some way by being silent for the entire day or during or after classes.
“(Day of Silence) is always something that’s very empowering, because even though you’re silent, you’re making people recognize that silence,” he said.
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