On April 26, 2018, it was National Day of Silence. According to GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), a website hoping to ensure that every student questioning their identity or orientation is safe at school, National Day of Silence is a day to spread awareness about the effects of bullying and harassment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and many more questioning students. Participants from Norristown included Randee Wismer, Samantha Detweiler, Zoe Trout, Dezirae Lawler, and many other students. These students had a choice of staying silent the whole day, in order to highlight the significance of  LGBTQ issues some students may have not only in school, but in society in general. In a recent interview NASDtv had with Randee Wismer, students could’ve also dressed in all black to support the LGBTQ community. Students could tell their teachers they were participating, and could remain silent the whole day.

LGBTQ stands for those who are for lesbian, gay, bisexual, non binary, transgender, or queer. It’s important for others to know the importance of standing up for yourself. National Day of Silence was created by Maria Pulzetti and organized by a group of students from the University of Virginia. It was then celebrated every year since after 1996.

It’s important to know the issues that students may face at school, while questioning their identity. According to GLSEN, just about 61% of LGBT students felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation. Two out of three students were verbally harassed, one in three were physically harassed, and one in six people were physically assaulted. Also, students who experienced intense bullying, harassment, and assault were shown to have poor educational outcomes and were mentally unstable. It is important to know the effects and outcome of bullying. National Day of Silence helps prevent bullying for happening, by giving students a chance to stand up for themselves and what they believe in.