Some of the top reasons why kids are harassed and bullied in schools are because of the individual sexual orientation and gender expression. Four out of five students in America who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) are harassed at schools, Democrat and Chronicle reports, citing a study.
April 11 is marked as the National Day of Silence each year, especially across the United States and is considered to be a day of action, in which students from various part of the country vow to take a form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools.
The official website for the National Day of Silence notes, that the day was founded in 1996 and the observance has become the largest single student-led actions towards making schools a better place to live in and safer places to be for all, irrespective of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
The first-ever National Day of Silence was held at the University of Virginia in 1996, the concept of which soon struck a chord with many other institutions. By 2008, over 8,000 middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities across the country celebrated the day.
Silence is used on this day to create awareness about the effect that bullying has on its victims. Bullying and harassment is often said to instill fear in LGBT groups to speak out about their sexuality and gender identity.
Here are some quotes and lines to mark the National Day of Silence 2014:
1. The Only queer people are those who don't love anybody. - Rita Mae Brown
2. If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door. - Harvey Milk
3. What sexual preference do you hope she has? 'Happiness.' Isn't that cool? - Francesca Lia Block, Weetzie Bat
4. With ignorance comes fear- from fear comes bigotry. Education is the key to acceptance. - Kathleen Patel
5. Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are. - Quentin Crisp
6. The beauty of standing up for your rights is others will see you standing and stand up as well. - Cassandra Duffy
7. I know I will never be happy, but I know I can be gay! - Marilyn Monroe
8. Gay rights are human rights - Hilary Clinton
9. I think that gay marriage should be between a man and a woman. - Arnold Schwarzenegger
10. I started being really pound of the fact that I was gay even though I wasn't. - Kurt Cobain
(ED/VS)
