Day of Silence

Today is a Day of Silence. It was made originally as a way for students to show their support for LGBT members, but there were so many more people suffering in silence today.

There was a seventeen-year-old boy that I love, lying in a hospital bed and sick with a disease we never talk about. He's battled depression since we were kids, and when “Suck it up” didn't work anymore he tried to end all it instead.

There was a girl at school who refused to report her sexual abuse because she didn't want to cause drama. When I promised her I would go to support her, she turned to look at me with teary eyes and said, “The last time I reported him, nothing happened. Why should I do it again?”

There was a girl who giggled in my ear to tell me that Bobby is the straightest-looking fag she's ever met, and suddenly all of this boy's anger and sarcasm made sense to me. It wasn't his personality; it was his defense.

There was a man who snorted when my friend chose to buy a large Slurpee with money she'd worked hard to earn herself. As we were leaving, he muttered, “Maybe that's the reason you're a size twenty.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the store before I could say anything back.

There are so, so many of us who are suffering silently every day. You're fat, you're gay, you're worthless. Don't say anything, don't respond, don't report it, don't egg them on. It will only get worse. It can only get better. Don't say anything, don't react. Don't let them know they hurt you. I chose not to participate in the Day of Silence for that exact reason: because there are so many people who don't have a voice, and I do.

-Amanda