Graig MantleCal Poly’s Pride Alliance took part in the Day of Silence Thursday, a student-organized movement to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students who must endure being silent because of their sexual orientation.
The Pride Alliance, which is dedicated to the celebration of the LGBT community, offered University Union room 220, as a “Safe Zone” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students who wanted to remain silent during the day to recognize LGBT students who are not able to discuss their lives and relationships.
“It’s a day to just show we are not given the (same) right as heterosexuals,” said Daniel Pfau, animal science sophomore and Pride Alliance student coordinator.
The room was covered with posters of statistics like 84 percent of LGBT students report being verbally harassed at school, and quotes like, “Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than hands?” by fiction writer Ernest Gaines.
There were also pens and paper for students to write down any thoughts they had about Day of Silence or the posters. The Pride Alliance is planning to make a scrapbook of whatever “people (wanted) to write or draw,” said Amy Narevsky, Pride Alliance student coordinator and liberal studies sophomore.
“(Day of Silence) is important because there are people in their everyday lives who can’t say everything they want to,” said Narevsky, who was silent in the Safe Zone.
The Pride Alliance also provided sheets that had a brief description of the Day of Silence and the participants’ goals.
“My deliberate silence echoes that silence which is caused by harassment, prejudice and discrimination. . I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices,” the sheet read.
The tragedy of this silence that the LBGT community faces is that “by not hearing their voices, you’re not hearing who they are,” animal science freshman Jessica Cresci said.
The tradition began in 1996 at the University of Virginia when about 100 students participated, according to dayofsilence.org. By 2002, over 100,000 students in over 1,900 colleges and high schools were involved.
Day of Silence was celebrated nationally on April 18. The Pride Alliance decide to have it this week instead because it would have conflicted with Open House.
As far as any of the student coordinators know, this is the first time Cal Poly has participated.
Pfau grew up in the area and said that Day of Silence was a good way to be heard.
“There isn’t too much of a voice for LGBT people in the area,” Pfau said. “Just to be able to see how many (people) realize we don’t have the rights that we should, it’s really uplifting.”
The Pride Alliance will also be holding Ally Training, where student coordinators will offer support for LGBT students as well as share their own experiences. Ally Training will take place today from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. in the UU, room 220.