Q Center participates in National Day of Silence
The Day of Silence (DOS) is sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Education Network (GLSEN), a national organization that brings LGBTQ awareness to K-12 education. DOS is a national, student-led event that brings attention to anti-LGBTQ name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students from middle school to college take a vow of silence in an effort to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBTQ sentiment and behavior by illustrating the silencing effect of homo and trans phobias on LGBTQ people and those perceived to be LGBTQ.
More than 60 students volunteered with the Q Center Friday, April 27, to bring awareness of the continued silencing of LGBTQ people, participating in a silent protest in the University Union’s Tillman Lobby. Students, dressed in black and wearing black surgical masks, took 30-minute shifts and silently held signs with messages of hate often heard by LGBTQ people. These silent protesters were very moved, each in their own way, by the demands of standing silent for 30 minutes. Some cried during their shift; others reflected on the times in their own lives when they felt silenced and experienced a feeling of empowerment during the protest. Q Center Director Kelly Clark took a shift. “I wasn’t feeling particularly well that day, but I decided to take my shift anyway. After about 15 minutes I really thought I was done, but I said to myself, ‘it has been a long time since you felt silenced; you are going to stand here and stick this out.’ Thirty minutes of discomfort is nothing compared to the experiences of some of the students served by the Q Center,” she said.
Silence really can be louder than words. The silent protest was experienced by hundreds of people who passed through the Union that day. Fifty people stopped at the Q Center table to ask questions, thank us and learn how they could join in. Q Center interns, who planned the protest, where shocked at the number of people who volunteered. Q Center graduate assistant Nadiya Al’Noor said she loved how visible it was and how many different types of people took part. “We actually had to turn some away because we didn’t have enough supplies for everyone who wanted to join,” she said. “Next year we will be ready.”