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National Day of Silence at UC Berkeley

By Steven Finacom
Monday April 18, 2011 - 05:32:00 PM
Student Participants in the National Day of Silence
Student Participants in the National Day of Silence

A group of students participated in the National Day of Silence, 2011, by forming a sign barrier across Sather Gate on the UC Berkeley campus during the lunch hour on Friday, April 15, 2011 as the campus set up for the Cal Day open house on Saturday, April 16. The students wore pink tape over their mouths, emphasizing the theme of the day that LGLT students and youth are often silenced by bigotry and discrimination. They faced both into and out of the campus. The side portals of the gate remained open to pedestrians, and many passersby stopped to take flyers. 

The flyers noted that the nationwide event--during which participants do not speak for the day--represents "a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment. I believe that ending the silence is the first step towards building awareness and making a commitment to address the injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today," the flyers concluded.