GLSEN's Day of Silence Honors the Memory of Lawrence King

NEW YORK, April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the recent murder of eighth grade student Lawrence King, students across America will dedicate Friday, April 25, 2008 to the memory of King on GLSEN's 12th annual National Day of Silence. Students will observe a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender name-calling, bullying and harassment in middle schools, high schools and college campuses.

While this event is held every year to bring hope to millions of students, the murder of Lawrence King represents a literal and absolute definition of the silence many of them feel. According to friends, Lawrence was murdered because of his sexual orientation.

The Day of Silence was created by University of Virginia students in 1996 and became a national event in 1997. GLSEN became the national sponsor in 2001. Hundreds of thousands of students are expected to participate on April 25, many of whom will wear stickers and pass out speaking cards that read:

     "Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating
     in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention
     to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and
     their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused
     by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment. This year's DOS is
     held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15 year-old student who was killed in
     school because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. I believe
     that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and
     making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices
     you are not hearing today."

GLSEN's 2005 National School Climate Survey found that 4 out of 5 of LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and 29% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. Additionally, 64.3% of LGBT students feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and 40.7 because of their gender expression.

The Day of Silence is one way students and their allies are making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America's schools.

ABOUT GLSEN

GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. Established nationally in 1995, GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. For more information on GLSEN's educational resources, public policy agenda, student organizing programs, research, public education and development initiatives, visit http://www.glsen.org. For more information and a complete collection of organizing materials, visit http://www.dayofsilence.org.

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