Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 4/18/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Hanna Thrasher

Some San Jose State University students are not speaking today in recognition of the National Day of Silence, an event in which students choose not to talk in order to protest discrimination against the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

Students who wish to participate have been picking up the official "Breaking the Silence" T-shirts all week at an information table outside the Student Union, said Jason Fithian, a senior majoring in photojournalism who organized events for Breaking the Silence Week, a series of activities to coincide with the National Day of Silence.

Fithian said today's silence is "to protest bullying, harassment and discrimination faced by LGTB (lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual) youth across the nation." This day was created to show that "silence can be loud. It will show actions speak louder than words."

Students who are not speaking today have cards to hand out explaining why they have decided to be silent for the day.

Fithian said he was inspired to take the vow of silence after attending human rights activist Cheryl Jacques' presentation last week.

"She just kind of summed it up for me," Fithian said. "It's really about being visible and making a statement to educate people about the community … Like she said, we're living in a modern day civil rights movement."

Derrick Quema, a junior majoring in sociology, said he will be silent today to represent those who are afraid to openly talk about their sexual identity for fear of negative responses.

"I'm gay, and I know a lot of people who have been silent about their identity," Quema said. "A lot of people can't voice their identity."

Tracy Chu, a freshman majoring in sociology, said she was silent about her identity before she came to college.

"I was silent through high school," Chu said. "I had a rainbow patch on my backpack, and people would ask me what it was for, but I didn't want to talk about it."

Chu said she will also take the vow of silence today to support the "queer community" because she knows what it's like to struggle with coming out.

Quema, the chair of Queers Thoughtfully Interrupting Prejudice, said by being silent, people will take notice and the "silence cards" that participants hand out will help educate people about the message of the National Day of Silence.

Continued...

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