Picture this– You’re sitting on a bus going into town. You strike up a conversation with the man next to you. He’s completely normal. Has a normal family. A normal job. Lives a normal life just like you. But there’s one thing you don’t know about him. It’s not something you can see, he doesn’t have a glowing light around him or a giant flashing green arrow pointing to him. It’s beneath the surface of what your eyes and small talk fail to reach. He’s gay. But if you had known, would you have thought him any less deserving of the life he leads?

After the National Day of Silence that took place Friday, April 18 to raise awareness for people who are gay, lesbian or transgender I heard lots of conversation concerning the day.  While most people were intrigued, and even supportive of this event, not all feedback was positive. I have seen and heard several negative comments about this day from people who feel this is an intrusion on their own beliefs. They felt it was a violation of their religious values and that its timing with Good Friday was offensive to those of the Christian faith. Everything from “How sad we are letting these types of things happen?” to “This is so disappointing.”

Frankly, I’m disappointed in the people who are saying these things.

Concerns have been voiced about how the school could allow such a thing to happen, but I don’t know if those people have quite checked their facts. The school does not promote or endorse this day. They are not forcing people to be involved and they are not putting propaganda in your heads. In a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it was found that because of their sexual orientation eight of ten students have been verbally harassed at school, six of ten students felt unsafe at school, and one of five students have even been a victim of a physical assault at school. The students in school chose to participate in this national day of awareness for reasons such as these and the school cannot legally stop them from doing so.

As for the timing of the day with Good Friday– we are not a Christian school. While a majority of our school is Christian, the institution does not associate with a specific religion. There are other people with different religions within our school district. The school doesn’t care if it’s Good Friday or Yom Kippur, it’s not their job to sensor a harmless expression of free speech from someone just because some people have differing views. I may be a Christian but I don’t believe I am going to hell because someone is advocating for gay rights. I’m not being “harassed” because the day of silence took place on Good Friday– because it doesn’t affect me. There is a reason for the separation of church and state and it is clearly not seen by some people. So, I am greatly sorry that a few silent kids not talking to raise awareness for a minority group with restricted rights affects you in any way. But in all honesty, it should not affect you at all.

However, I think the biggest problem with this is not just how people feel about the day of silence, but how unaccepting people are of one another in today’s world. How is someone being gay or advocating for gay rights harming or causing you pain in any way? Your world doesn’t stop because someone who is gay is able to get married or adopt a child or gain the same equal rights that everyone in America should have. We should be pushing for everyone to be equal no matter their race, sex, age, and yes, even their sexual orientation. If we don’t learn to be accepting toward people, we’re going to get nowhere.

So to clear things up a little. No, Satan is not “hard at work in our schools” and “God help us…” isn’t necessary. We don’t need prayers for those advocating for gay rights and it’s not sad that people are sticking up for what they believe in. I would challenge those of you who are uneasy and uneducated about this day, or even this topic, to stop closing off your minds to something you don’t quite understand. Open your mind to something that you are unsure of. Ask questions, don’t interrogate. Look for new ways to understand things. Don’t discriminate against someone because you’re not used to something, chances are if you start accepting people you think are different, they turn out to not be that different from you.