Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Cinthia Rodriguez The leader for the Rainbow Sprinkle team announced the right answer for one of the questions in Queer Jeopardy, held in the Campus Village RAC Room on Wednesday.

With a loud collaborative scream, a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender SJSU students and staff broke their silence. They had been silent all day as a part of the observed Day of Silence on Tuesday.

As part of Breaking the Silence Week at SJSU - a time to bring attention to harassment that keeps lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people quiet - a mixer was held at Campus Village Building B.

The Day of Silence was created by students at the University of Virginia in 1996, according to the Day of Silence Web site.

Seth Hodge, the residential life coordinator of the suites in the Campus Village, said the Day of Silence is recognized across the nation.

"The purpose of (the Day of Silence) is to let people understand and realize the silence that so many people have to live in, because they are not in an environment that is safe," Hodge said. "They don't have the ability that we all have to be able to speak out and be honest about who they are."

Vay Van, who coordinated the event, said this was the second year that he has put on the Day of Silence at SJSU. He said he is trying to make more events on campus that are "geared towards the queer community."

Van, who is an R.A., said he has a lot of residents come to him and say that they would have gone to some of the programs and events in the residence halls if events were more open to the gay community.

"I really want us to be out there, be able to feel comfortable on campus and be open," said Van, a senior photography major. "I know a lot of students on campus who identify as queer, but they don't feel open enough to tell people."

Connie Wong, a senior pictorial arts major, said she found out about the event from Van. She said she thought the event was "a good idea."

"I think people need to know that it is OK to come out and that there is supporters," Wong said. "I just feel bad that not many people accept it."

Geovani Sandoval, a freshman French major, said he went to the event after seeing the Break the Silence T-shirts people were wearing around campus. He said he thought the scream was going to be something metaphorical.

"It was just a scream, and I was like 'Oh that's pretty cool, everyone breaking the silence.' It made sense," Sandoval said.

Hodge said he took a vow of silence on Tuesday. He said he has done it for many years now.

"I was sitting with a staff member earlier today, who jokingly started realizing that she could talk to me and put words in my mouth and that I didn't have the ability to fight back on it," Hodge said.

"She was like 'Wow,' and it had this clicking moment - she realized that it really is very representative of people who don't have the ability, or don't have the power, to speak up and be honest about who they are."

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