Trisha Tsundupalli ‘21
On April 27th, many students at Episcopal and across the nation participated in the National Day of Silence. As Maggie Dobra ‘21 states, “Day of Silence is a time when we don’t speak in honor of the LGBTQ+ community, who may not have a voice.” This day has been recognized throughout countries all over the world, and has blossomed since 1966, the origination date. By wearing colorful pins and wristbands to show support, children and adults participate to spread love to those who feel silenced by their sexuality. During this day, students and teachers alike can sign up to be either a vocal supporter or a silent supporter. Megan Hinckley ‘21, a silent supporter, expresses that “Many teens who are questioning their sexuality or gender or who know they are not straight and binary feel as if they are all alone and that no one understands. Day of Silence shows those who feel ostracised for their sexuality or gender that those around them love and support them.”
Adelynn Anderson, the president of Episcopal Academy’s LGBTQ+ inclusion society, PRISM, shares her thoughts on the success of the day this year. “As my first year as president and my first year organizing the event, I was happy to see a great deal of people signing up to be both silent and vocal supporters.” However, she also describes ways in which the day could be improved. “We could have done a better job advertising it,” she says. “Getting word out to the community a few weeks beforehand is definitely something that could be pushed for.”
Lindsey Demyun ‘21 shows her support for Day of Silence: “This is a very important event to have at EA, since it lets everyone express themselves and their political views without disrupting the learning environment. Instead, it proves to be beneficial.”