National Day of Silence – April 12, 2024

National Day Of Silence is observed on any one of the Friday of every April. This year the day falls on April 12. It is a day in which students participate by being silent throughout the day to show their support and recognition for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people, but can also be used as a day to recognize anyone that is silenced. In the United States, the National Day of Silence is a Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’sannual day of action to spread awareness about the effects of the bullying and harassment of LGBT students. Scholars take a day-long vow of silence to represent the silencing of LGBT students symbolically. GLSEN’s National Day of Silence is a student-led national event organized in thousands of schools, and colleges, bringing awareness to the anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying, and harassment.

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” – Harvey Fierstein

History of the day

The National Day of Silence was first celebrated in April 1996. National Day of Silence was created by a student named Maria Pulzetti who wanted to make an impact on many people at schools and other places. Students organized the first event at the University of Virginia in 1996. In 1997, organizers took efforts to take the event to the national level, with almost 100 colleges and universities participating in them. In 2000, Pulzetti’s classmates and GLSEN National Student Organizer developed the proposal for the day to become an official project of GLSEN. And in 2001, the GLSEN became the official organizational sponsor with new funding, staff, and volunteers. GLSEN developed its first-ever student leadership team as part of the National Day of Silence. In the last several years, over 10,000 participants have registered their participation with GLSEN each year who are from middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. They include students from the U.S.A. as well as students from all around the world.

Other Celebrations on April 12

April 12 is also celebrated as

• National Walk On Your Wild Side Day
• National Licorice Day
• National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

How to celebrate the day

On the day, students simply don’t talk throughout the day, and some even make unique T-shirts for the day. It is often run by a school’s GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) and is student coordinated. Every year hundreds of thousands of students across the world take a vow of silence on this day. This student-led action raises awareness about the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Anyone can organize an activity or event, and it can be a powerful way to join together and take a stand and make your voice heard. GLSEN’s National Day of Silence is to take action to push for the most comprehensive LGBTQ policies in schools.

Thank you for reading the post. You can celebrate every day with Happydays365.org and Happy National Day Of Silence 2024.