Day of Silence : Silencing Others Viewpoints

April 18, 2007 was the Day of Silence and at Naperville Central High School as well as many other high schools students remained silent during the school day. As part of equality week, the Day of Silence is designed to draw attention to gay rights and demonstrate that until recently gays have been silenced. To support their beliefs, participants remain silent throughout the school day, wearing a yellow card pinned to their shirt that explains why they are being silent. The Day of Silence is mostly accepted by students and faculty but some students protest the day.

Some students at Naperville Central High School wore t-shirts with messages such as "Jesus was str8", "Be happy not gay", and "I do not support gay day". Some students were told they had to remove these shirts because of the messages on them. Forcing students who wear shirts like this to remove them doesn't seem fair. Why should students be allowed to participate in the day by not speaking while others cannot voice their opinion? At nearby Neuqua Valley High School, Heidi Zamecnik recently decided to sue the school for stopping her from wearing a shirt with the message "Be Happy, Not Gay" after last year's Day of Silence. Free speech should allow students to demonstrate their opinions no matter what they are.

School administrators should not allow one group to express their opinions while silencing the other side. If they are going to prevent either side from expressing their opinions they must stop both. This issue of protests in schools was addressed in the Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines School District, about a group of students who were suspended for wearing armbands to school to show they didn't support the Vietnam War. The ruling in that case was that a school cannot ban a form of protest or expression to avoid controversy unless it disrupts the school day. Being silent during the day obviously makes it harder for education to continue as usual, yet the school has allowed the Day of Silence for a few years. Wearing a t-shirt with a debatable message on it however is not as obviously disruptive.

The schools will have to make a choice quickly about whether they will allow all sides to express their opinions, or if they will stop allowing students to express their opinions on issues important to them. They will not be able to continue as they have been; only allowing one side to demonstrate.