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Friday, April 16, 2010, was the Day of Silence.
This was the fourth year that I participated in the Day of Silence and even though the struggle of being silent was nothing new, I feel that every year I take away something new.
This year, I took the most pride in seeing that a majority of the participants in the Day of Silence were underclassmen. While I think everyone should have participated, it really made me feel great knowing that while I'm a graduating senior, there are people in my school that will continue to support our Gay Straight Alliance, and that are willing to stand up for the rights and safety of all LGBTQ students and their allies.
But, of course, the greatest part of the day was our Chicagoland Night of Noise. I work with the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (www.illinoissafeschools.org) that plans the NoN here in Chicago, and I was lucky enough to be able to emcee the rally. We had a great turnout, once again, and everyone had a lot of fun. Since I'm graduating, it was my last year helping to plan and emcee the NoN. Although, this is sad to some extent, it gives me hope because I know that all the new members of our youth committee will get to have the same and even greater experiences than I did at the Alliance.
The greatest part of the NoN for me was the chance to perform with two of my closest friends. Every year we've had highschool aged performers get on stage and perform drag, spoken word, and music. And this year- it was me! I got on stage, dressed as the infamous Adam Lambert (we have a close resemblance), and performed to his song For Your Entertainment. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tc3MhHwWuE) It was absolutely fantastic to be able to get on stage with my closest friends and dance for a roaring crowd. It was easily the best night of my entire senior year...
I guess after all this time I've just come to appreciate those around me, and the opportunities I have living in a large liberal city like Chicago. There are so many LGBTQA folks out there that do not have the support they need. They have to face hatred and discrimination on a regular basis and don't always have a GSA that they can fall back on. I feel so privileged to live where I love, know the people I know, and to live my life. My hope is that one day soon, everyone, no matter who they are, will have the opportunity to live life with acceptance and happiness.
Power to the Queers.
