The annual Day of Silence is a national event that has made a huge impact on communities around the country. Fortunately, Wakefield gets a chance to participate in the event every year. The Gay-Straight Alliance, a student-run club, holds the responsibility for this event, along with their advisor, Nadia Campbell. This year’s Day of Silence occurred on April 17, 2015; students who signed up to participate could not speak for one whole day. This silence was intended to raise awareness for people who are either lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender and experience prejudices and bullying for their sexual preferences.

“People who are LGBT get bullied frequently,” said Amber King, participant of the Day of Silence. “The Day of Silence echoes what is brought with the bullying of LGBT people.”

The bullying of LGBT students goes unnoticed too often. Not only do they struggle to be accepted in school, but some of them are not accepted in their own homes or in other groups they associate with.

“People are bullied everywhere for being LGBT,” said King.

The Day of Silence has been a national event for many years now, and for good reason.  Students across the country have become more aware of the shameful bullying that LGBT kids are victims of.

“We do it every year because most kids will just forget about it the next day,” said King.  “Whether people agree with the cause or not, the Day of Silence gets them talking about it, which at least raises awareness.”

Fortunately, every year gets better when it comes to participation in this event.  This year there were more people participating than last year, and many of the participants witnessed positive reactions from their peers and teachers.

“I personally think the Day of Silence was a success this year,” said Jayme Zimmerman, participant in this year’s event. “There were many people who actually figured out that we have a Gay-Straight Alliance at Wakefield.”

From a nation-wide perspective, LGBT people have been slowly gaining more and more rights. Many states have accepted gay marriage, yet many people are still very against it, and therefore prejudices and bullying result.

“Being someone who is a part of the LGBT community, I definitely think the Day of Silence is a great way to raise awareness,” said Zimmerman. “Even though the community is starting to accept LGBT people, there is still injustice when it comes to LGBT rights and treatment.”

Not only does the Day of Silence protest against anti-LGBT people, but it also helps to raise awareness for the LGBT people who are afraid to come out in fear of the harassment they would face.

“People don’t want to reveal their sexual preferences because they will be bullied and in some places, persecuted,” said Destiny Rider, another participant in the Day of Silence. “There are three people just in Wake County that committed suicide in the past year because they were repeatedly bullied for being LGBT.”

These tragedies that occur are all the more reason to continue to raise awareness.  GSA’s Day of Silence was successful in making students think and become aware of LGBT bullying this year. Hopefully students will act upon the event and continue to educate each other on the importance of equality and fair treatment.

“We’re all human,” said King. “Nobody deserves to be bullied regardless of what you are.”