Day+of+Silence+2008

=CDO GSA and the Day of Silence 2008=

The 2008 Day of Silence (DoS) takes place on Friday, April 25, 2008 on high school and college campuses all across America. **[|GLSEN]** (the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) provdes a centralized web space, **[|DayofSilence.org]**, for schools and observation student leaders to meet and share resources on planning and executing the Day of Silence.

This year, the Day of Silence observation is exceptionally poignant and has an even greater meaning with the recent (Feb. 12, 2008) **[|school shooting of Lawrence King]**, a 15 year-old 8th grade student who identified as gay. King's murder by his classmate while the class was in the school's computer lab, reinforces the message behind the Day of Silence:

"Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today."
 * What are you going to do to end the silence?

CDO GSA** students plan on making posters advertising this year's DoS and drawing attention on the King hate crime murder.