“It’s about raising awareness,” said senior Marisa Mathis, president of GSA, when asked about her motivation for organizing “Speak Up, Speak Out” and Day of Silence.

Last Thursday at lunch, the GSA opened up a mic in front of the PAC, and with an audience of students and teachers watching, encouraged peers to come up and share their anecdotes, beliefs, and general musings concerning gay rights.

“We accomplished much more this year than in previous years. We reached a lot more people and let people know what the events were really about ahead of time through homeroom announcements and posters and Facebook,” said Mathis.

Dozens of students came to listen and support the speakers. Day of Silence, which happened that Friday, also attracted large numbers—and while the participants were silent, they were silent with a purpose.

“It’s a day where we remember the lives lost and the great people that never got to be themselves because they were silenced,” said Mathis.

“It helped me spend an entire day thinking, and helped me understand the purpose of the day as a whole,” said Day of Silence participant Trevor LaPlante, junior.

Day of Silence is a national event, but as Mathis pointed out, “It’s a lot easier for us to do it here than it is for some people around the country. Not all schools are as accepting as SDA.”

“We put these events one after the other because they’re two events about the same thing, but they raise awareness in opposite ways,” said Mathis.

GSA puts on this event every year, and if you’d like to be a part of it, the club meets in room 54 on Thursdays at lunch under the guidance of chemistry teacher Russ Davidson.

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