Its sad to believe that the majority of you won't give this a thought in the world but I hope this at least makes you think about how cruel some of simple statements can be and that you try to participate in this.


Official Site [link]

Fact: Four out of five LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and 29% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety.

Today, April 25, 2008, is the 12th Annual National Day of Silence Honors the Memory of Slain Lawrence King

This year's National Day of Silence on April 25 will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old California student who was shot and killed at school in February by a 14-year-old classmate because of Kings sexual orientation and gender expression.

The Day of Silence is held by students every year to bring attention to anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) name-calling, bullying and harassment. The tragedy at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, Calif. brings even more meaning to a day that has brought hope to millions of students.

Hundreds of thousands of students are expected to participate by taking some form of a vow of silence for the entire day or even for just part of it. Their efforts will be supported by hundreds of community-based "Breaking the Silence" events at the end of the day. Together, concerned students will create a powerful call to action in order to prevent future tragedies.

While I normally wouldn't think to post a news article on here, I wanted to get this little known cause to everyone. I ask you, my fellow deviantArt supporters to join me in this action and create something to support Lawrence King and to support A Day Of Silence. Anything whatsoever. Create a photo or a photo manipulation, or make a sign in support of this by write something as simple as "Silent for Lawrence King" Get creative and spread the word.

While I currently don't have a camera to post photos, I will still be making a sign, writing the following thing a friend of mine was passing around online,

"Silent for Lawrence King.
Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment. This years DOS is held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15 year-old student who was killed in school because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today."

There are simple precautions schools could take to make schools safer for all students and to end the endemic name-calling and harassment that LGBT students and their allies face every day. We need to act now so that Lawrence King and the countless others who endure anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment will not be forgotten, and so that we can create an enduring legacy of safer schools for all in their names.

The Day of Silence is one way students and their allies are making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in Americas schools.


((NOTE: Information in this article was gathered from [link] ))