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Day of Silence honored around Minnesota

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Day of Silence honored around Minnesota

dayofsilence

Minnesotans around the state took part in the annual Day of Silence on Friday which calls attention to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools, including Rep. Keith Ellison, many high schools, and even a traditionally Catholic university. An appearance by former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe in Morris, Minn., gave added attention to the event.

Promoted by the Gay-Lesbian-Straight Education Network, the event “is a student-led national event that brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.” Students vow to remain silent throughout the day to bring attention to LGBT issues in schools.

Rep. Keith Ellison’s office told The Column that he “is going to be blacking out his social media presence today and staying silent in solidarity with GLBTQ+ youth and their allies for Day of Silence.”

Maple Grove Senior High School recognized the event, as did Avalon Charter School:

And Sanford Middle School:

St. Paul Public School students got creative with their silence:

Hastings High School, Highland Park Senior High, and Mound Westonka High School also featured the Day of Silence on their daily calendars.

Students at the University of St. Thomas held a Day of Silence and Night of Noise (last year’s event included university president Julie Sullivan.)

Winona State University’s Full Spectrum participated in the Day of Silence and held a Night of Noise:

Minnesota State University-Moorhead’s SPECTRUM honored the day.

The University of Minnesota-Morris honored the Day of Silence followed by an appearance by former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe. Kluwe met for lunch with prominent atheist and LGBT ally Prof. PZ Myers, and Kluwe tweeted his trip:

Did your school participate in the Day of Silence 2015? Send along your pictures or experiences and we will add them here.

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Andy Birkey has written for a number of Minnesota and national publications. He founded Eleventh Avenue South which ran from 2002-2011, wrote for the Minnesota Independent from 2006-2011, the American Independent from 2010-2013. His writing has appeared in The Advocate, The Star Tribune, The Huffington Post, Salon, Cagle News Service, Twin Cities Daily Planet, TheUptake, Vita.mn and much more. His writing on LGBT issues, the religious right and social justice has won awards including Best Beat Reporting by the Online News Association, Best Series by the Minnesota chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and an honorable mention by the Sex-Positive Journalism awards.