The annual Day of Silence will occur on Friday, April 27. According to GLSEN, the organization that plans this event, “…Day of Silence…is a student-led national event where folks take a vow of silence to highlight the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ people at school.” Vista del Lago’s LGBTQ+ students participating in this event include junior and Gay Straight Alliance club president Nathan Yacur, freshman Alyssa Johnson, and freshman Braden Ramirez.

There is considerable significance of the Day of Silence. “Personally, to me…[Day of Silence] means…reflecting on all we’ve gone through as a community and the ways that society has grown,” said Yacur. “…Even in my short time of being alive, I’ve seen so many improvements, but also some setbacks as well.”

“…I feel like a lot of LGBT people have been silenced [for most of history]…Now it’s more accepted, but there’s still a lot of repressed LGBT people…throughout the world and I feel like this day will help…” Johnson said.

While all three of the students want to participate, it may be difficult to do so during the school day. “It’s hard with being in school to… get away with not talking when a lot of classes are focused on participation, but we’re going to try our best to try to make an impact even if it’s small,” Yacur said.

However, even if they won’t be able to participate, the students still think it is important to bring awareness to this important issue. “[The Day of Silence]…shows awareness about… how a lot of us are silenced because of…homophobia and people not being accepting. It’s… a way to show people that I… exist [and that] we’re here… We’re not hurting anyone in any way. You…[do not have to] accept it, but you have to at least respect those that do…it and support it,” Ramirez said. It’s clear that this event is extremely important to the LGBTQ+ as it helps them inform the public of the issues the LGBTQ+ community faces.

“Even if you aren’t part of a marginalized community yourself, it’s important to take a step back and reflect,” Yacur said.