At South, students are encouraged to be themselves and celebrate the differences they have, one of the clubs that help students do that is GSA which stands for Gender-Sexuality Alliance. One of the events that GSA puts together is Day of Silence which was held at South this year on April 22,2022; now why is Day of Silence important? 

One of the students who took the pledge of silence said, “The Day of Silence is important because it shows that most LGBTQ+ people want to stand up to bullying and harassment.” 

The same student went on to explain why they participated in Day of Silence.

“I participated in Day of Silence because I wanted to show that I didn’t care what others thought of me. Instead of talking back, I would sit there and ignore them.”

How long does an event like this take to plan? Ms. Vogt, the teacher advisor for GSA claimed, “It took over a month to plan Day of Silence.”

What about people who don’t support the cause, did students speak out against it? 

Mr. Meyer, South High’s Dean of Students said, “I did not hear any homophobic comments during the Day of Silence.  I believe South does a good job of being a welcoming place for all people as evidenced by the array of clubs and organizations that are present and supported in the building.  Having said that, I also firmly believe that we can always strive to be better.”

The student who had taken the pledge reaffirmed this, saying, “ I didn’t hear of any harassment from anyone but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were.”

Now that Day of Silence has come and gone, what is South’s GSA doing now? The club has switched gears to planning what is called Rainbow Day. 

“Rainbow day is June 3.” Ms. Vogt said. “Celebrating [Rainbow Day]  is important because it gives students an opportunity to express themselves and be proud of who they are! At South, we want to make everyone feel welcome, regardless of identity.”

South’s GSA hopes that Rainbow Day goes just as well as Day of Silence had and hopes to see even more participation from students, whether they are a part of the community or an ally.