April 15 Proclaimed Day of Silence

April 15 will be a Day of Silence in the .

Saline City Council unanimously approved Mayor Gretchen Driskell’s proclamation that April 15 be recognized as a day to promote a safe and welcoming environment for students and citizens and to put and end to discrimination against and the harassment of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered youth.

The proclamation was part of the consent agenda at the outset of the meeting until Councilman Dean Girbach asked the agenda be amended to make the proclamation a  new business item.

“I just felt it was something that shouldn'y be buried in the consent agenda,” Girbach following the meeting.

During the meeting, Girbach said the issue was one that was near and dear to him.

“The Day of Silence is something that students are taking forward to try and bring about change to make sure that bullying and discrimination are something of the past,” Girbach said. ‘This year we’ve seen a lot in the news about teenage suicides and other instances that have occurred that happen to gay and lesbian teens and young adults, so I think this is a great way for our community to recognize what our students are trying to do for our community, and for our community to show that we’re paying attention and that we care about them.”

On the National Day of Silence, thousands of students will take a vow of silence to bring attention many of the issues of bullying and harassment issues facing all students, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students.

In 1996, students at the University of Virginia organized the first Day of Silence in response to a class assignment on non-violent protests. Over 150 students participated in this inaugural DOS. In 1997, organizers took their effort nationally and nearly 100 colleges and universities participated.  In 2001, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network became the official organizational sponsor for the event. In 2007, the organization conducted a study that found 9 out of 10 LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and more than 30 percent report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety.