While planning a protest to raise awareness for LGBTQ+ issues at the University of Virginia in 1996, Maria Pulzetti, co-founder of the Day of Silence, never imagined her idea would spread nationwide.
“It was extremely homemade,” said Pulzetti. “It was me and a few of my friends who were involved with the [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Union], but we printed out these … labels that said ‘Day of Silence,’ and then I drew rainbows on every single one with magic markers.”
The Day of Silence is an annual demonstration in which students remain silent throughout the school day.
“It’s a day where young people are visibly silent to demonstrate the silence that [LGBTQ+] people face every day when moving through their lives,” said Jesse Gilliam, co-founder of the Day of Silence.
The Gender-Sexuality Alliance, also known as GSA, facilitates the Day of Silence at Glenbrook North.
“I think it is increasingly important to draw attention to the [LGBTQ+] community, the plights for the community and the necessity of showing support,” said GSA advisor Jamie Ellinger-Macon. “Locally and within the school, I think [the Day of Silence] is a very significant visual reminder or at least acknowledgment that there is administrative and teacher support for students, whether or not they choose to be open and out.”
GSA typically hands out stickers at school entrances on the Day of Silence to anyone who wants to participate or show support, Ellinger-Macon said.
The Day of Silence is sponsored by a national organization called the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, also known as GLSEN. The organization provides resources and information about the Day of Silence that communities can use to host local demonstrations.
“[The Day of Silence is] another way for [students] to demonstrate, en masse and in numbers, that they’re there,” said David Eng-Chernack,deputy executive director for communications, marketing and programs at GLSEN. “They should be paid attention to, and they should be heard.”
In 2024, GLSEN changed the demonstration’s name to the Day of (No) Silence.
“We began to have internal conversations around the [question] ‘Is staying silent and mute actually a good way to protest?’ said Eng-Chernack. “We’re [now] thinking ‘No, visibility, speaking up, speaking out, might actually be even more effective and more powerful.’”
Speaking out can be as simple as posting on social media about why preventing discrimination against LGBTQ+ young people is important, Eng-Chernack said.
GBN’s GSA follows GLSEN’s calendar, which scheduled the Day of (No) Silence for April 4. This year, GSA did not have enough club members to organize the demonstration.
Gilliam wants people to be their whole selves as they are walking through the world, which the demonstration has further encouraged, he said.
“People are still very much facing homophobia and transphobia, especially young people,” said Gilliam. “[The Day of Silence is] still something that seems to remain relevant in many communities. But as long as it remains relevant, I want [participants] to have the tools to do it.”