TGIF! It’s finally Friday morning. You’ve just sat down in first period English, and you can’t wait to talk all about your upcoming plans for the weekend. Grinning, you tap your best friend on the shoulder, eager to share the news. After five minutes of non-stop chatter, you stop and take a breath.

“So, what do you think?”

As you stare expectantly at your friend, you can’t help but notice that she has been oddly quiet the whole time. In fact, as you take a quick glance around the room, you realize that the entire class has been strangely silent this morning. With the exception of a few people, everyone else is either gesturing or passing notes. True, it is first period, but it has never been this quiet before. What is going on?!

You must have a confused look on your face, because your friend pulls out a small card. You quickly skim over it, catching bits and pieces of the message: “Not speaking today. Bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Building awareness.” Suddenly, it hits you.

This Friday, April 15th, is the National Day of Silence. On this day, students and teachers all over the nation will “take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in their schools,” according to the Day of Silence Web site.

Sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), this event raises awareness about the harassment LGBT students often face by showing teenagers how it feels to be silenced by bullying. Visit DayofSilence.org for event information, posters, stickers and speaking cards to help spread the word at your school.

Take this day to make a statement and make a difference. Silence, after all, is golden.

—Cynthia Lam, 17, Staff Writer

I recently watched an episode of ABC’s What Would You Do? about homophobic bullying. The show hires actors to play out morally questionable situations in public to observe how people react. This episode featured a guy being pushed around and ridiculed for being gay by three other guys, while most passersby ignored what was going on.

After watching the show, I got the impression that someone being picked on for being different while the majority of people just go about their business was supposed to be surprising news. Honestly, I wasn’t all that surprised. I may not be gay, but I know from experience what being a victim feels like. Getting hit and insulted can be a painful experience that often leaves a lasting social and emotional impact on victims.

In an ideal world, people would be altruistic and caring about everyone. But in the real world, people often only care about what affects them and the people they know. So why should we expect heterosexuals to stick up for gay people or passersby to stand up to bullies?

Well, bullying isn’t something that only applies to gay people. Ironically, we are all part of a minority in one way or another. Whether we’re part of a religious minority, an ethnic minority, don’t have values held by the mainstream or we just think or act differently than most, we are all potential victims of bullying. Therefore, the best way to ensure our safety against bullying is to stop it as a whole—not only when our friend is the victim, but also when anyone we come across is being victimized. Bullies provoke fear in individual bystanders, so people don’t take action when they see someone being bullied. But if we realize our power as a group and stand up to bullying, the bullies will be powerless.

—Connor Dolan, 18, Staff Writer

I remember sitting in my brother’s room a couple weeks ago and seeing on Facebook that an eighteen-year-old student at Rutgers, Tyler Clementi, had committed suicide. I first thought, Oh, that’s a shame. I wonder if depression led to this. Interested in what had happened, I googled it. That’s when I found out that his roommate had used his webcam to record Tyler having sex with another guy. As if this weren’t enough of an invasion of privacy, his roommate livestreamed the images on the Internet for all to see. Understandably, Tyler was completely humiliated by this horrendous act of cruelty. A few days later, he jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River. I sat staring at my laptop in shock, and I felt the most disgusted I’ve ever felt in my life.

Before long, we all became aware that Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg and Billy Lucas had also committed suicide as a direct result of homophobic bullying.

A few days later, my friend sent me an invitation to an event through Facebook to wear purple on October 20 for these teens and the many others we haven’t yet heard about who committed suicide as a result of homophobia. Thousands of people have agreed to wear purple to honor them. I wear a uniform to school every day, but I’m going to wear purple bracelets and a hair piece to remember these young people. This is one way to spread awareness about homophobic bullying. If you’re reading this and you are interested in participating, check out these Facebook events here, here and here.

So here’s to you, Tyler, Asher, Seth, Justin and Billy and others. May you rest in peace.

—Sara Racek, 17, Staff Writer

Just in time for back to school, Governor Paterson of New York signed the Dignity for all Students Act (DASA). This anti-bullying law forbids school harassment based on many factors, including race, origin, weight, religious belief and disability. And although New York will be the 41st state to pass anti-discrimination laws for schools, it joins only 13 states in specifically forbidding the bullying of students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ). Students in New York should no longer fear harassment because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

To help create a safe environment for LGBTQ students, the new law requires that one staff member at each school be trained in instruction and counseling methods that are non-discriminatory. And DASA isn’t just about preventing your stereotypical schoolyard bullies; schools must give teachers, administrators and other school employees anti-discrimination training to raise their awareness and sensitivity to discrimination and allow them to respond appropriately to bullying.

Schools have an obligation to protect their students from all types of bullying. Just as no students deserve to be bullied for their genes, beliefs or abilities, none should fear harassment for the identities they choose, the pronouns they use or the valentines they send.

—Meg Gibbon, 18, Contributor

Imagine waking up every morning knowing that you’ll have to go to a school where you are tormented and bullied, all for something you can’t control. The sad truth is that this happens to students who are—or are perceived by their classmates to be—gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT).

Twenty-three senators recently introduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2010 to protect GLBT students in public schools from harassment, bullying and violence. Students are already protected from bullying based on race, sex, religion, disability and national origin. This bill would extend those rights to students who are or are perceived to be GLBT.

The bullying of GLTB students leads to the increased likelihood of skipping school and even dropping out. According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s 2007 National School Climate Survey, 60 percent of GLBT students felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and about a third skipped a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe.

Bullying not only affects students’ emotional health and their ability to learn at school, but can also end tragically. Lawrence King, who identified as gay, was allegedly murdered by a bully, and Carl Walker-Hoover took his own life after being bullied relentlessly because he was perceived to be gay. This new legislation wouldn’t just help protect GLBT students from harassment, but it could save lives.

—Taylor McCabe, 17, Staff Writer