On April 21, more than 50 students were silent at York High School in Elmhurst, Illinois. This was in support of Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. [See related article next page.]
The youth group AS.IS (accepting sexual orientation in school) informed students of this event by putting up posters and having a booth during lunches.
During daily announcements, one of the participating students broke the silence to read from the play The Laramie Project. He chose the speech given by Matthew Shepard’s father at the trial of Matthew’s killers. It was a very moving piece. This day helped to heighten awareness among all students.